Gorillaz

"If all of this was Clint Eastwood it would be a five, but it is not." That's the most honest summary of this record — a debut that contains one of the great opening statements of the 2000s and then spends the rest of its runtime operating in that track's considerable shadow. Del the Funky Homosapien rapping over that ghostly, slightly sinister groove is immediately distinctive and completely alive in a way that makes everything else work harder to match it. The groove is real across most of the record, which is ultimately what pushes this to a four. Damon Albarn assembled something genuinely eclectic here — hip-hop, dub, electronic, and indie rock blending with a lightness of touch that most genre-crossing records can't manage — and when it locks in the results are consistently enjoyable. "19-2000" has the kind of physical bass momentum that pulls you in immediately. The collaborators tend to focus and energize whichever track they're on, giving the record more personality than Albarn's more diffuse vocal approach alone would generate. The experimental detours are the cost of doing business. Some of the odder moments sit awkwardly between the stronger material, and the record occasionally disappears into its own concept rather than staying grounded in the groove that makes it work. These aren't dealbreakers — just the places where the ambition slightly outruns the execution. A genuine four — catchy, groovy, and more alive than most records attempting this kind of genre collision. Worth noting that a platform licensing dispute required switching from Amazon to Spotify mid-listen to hear the full record, which says something about the ongoing messiness of catalog rights in the streaming era.

So good!! 4.5

Up until two years ago I never liked Gorillaz having only heard like 5 hits. They were my best friends favorite band so I finally decided to do a deep dive. This isn’t the Gorillaz album I’d pick & I stand by that the two hits off this album are the least interesting. Idk if they have a 5 star album, but I think they’re all consistently 4 stars.

Great album. Very hip hop influenced and was pretty revolutionary at the time.

Solid album. I really liked "Punk" and the "Clint Eastwood (Ed Case Refix Edit)"

Great

Better than Coldplay

The chokehold the melodica had on early 2000s Brit bands

it slaps but it's wildly all over the place

This album is demanding I give it a 4 or a 2. LOVE and HATE on the knuckles. It does not want to be a 3. It's asking me to stand for something. Stop being so milquetoast. Shit or get off the pot.

Great album, classic

Gorillaz Self Titled - 4/5 - Great introduction to a certified classic - Damon Albarn’s idea to introduce a 2D band into the mainstream after solidifying his involvement with blur was no doubt a gamble but a brilliant move nonetheless, Gorillaz innovative attempt to infuse hip hop, rock & trip hop managed to be a massive success alongside their other works Demon Days & Welcome to Plastic Beach skyrocketed their popularity into the mainstream over 3 generations and established the band as genre blending masterminds, Albarn does a great job to involve features and early collaborators to make a distinct and edgy vibe over the whole project - For example Del the Funky Homosapien & Dan the Automator provide a unique skillset that truly elevate the self titled debut that no doubt helped steer the course for Gorillaz stardom. Jaime Hewlett as well provides memorable illustrations for the band that still to this day are distinct and recognisable especially when it came to both the self titled lp & Demon Days. Verdict: 76-79/100. Gorillaz introduces itself as fun & quirky but lacks the depth that its successors would have. Albeit this is a great debut album and still remains one of the most innovative musical concepts that has no doubt inspired generations but outside of that the transitions from each song can be quite jarring and often times there is inconsistencies with a number of songs throughout the album that it often feels like they were made purely to pass the air time. Regardless this is still a great album and would serve to be the catalyst of a new wave. Definitely one to add to the collection. Favourite Songs: 5/4 Tomorrow Comes Today New Genious (Brother Clint Eastwood Sound Check (Gravity) Rock The House 19-2000 Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo) Starshine M1 A1

Clint Eastwood

Очень хороший альбом. На мой взгляд он очень самобытный и самостоятельный, он в различных песнях сочетает свои же элементы переплетаясь и развиваясь. Но только latin simone портит всю картину. Эта мексиканская хрень появляется и исчезает в никуда, она, словно небрежно торчит из всего альбома.

some absolute Limewire classics on here

I've resisted listening to a full Gorillaz album for a while but damn I thought this was great. It's right up my alley to be fair, that sort of electronic rock sounds of the 90s/2000s. There's a lot of hip hop and rock influences here, but the one that struck me the most was Radiohead, at times even drawing from Thom York's vocal style.

I liked this album a lot and am sad I missed the fun at the time. 40-50% too long tho

Nice

Instrument on tct Cool use of instruments flute harmonica Broad use of features different styles Drums were a standout

Pretty good. Back half dragged on a little longer but solidified bangers on this record

Why have I never listened to this before? I’m considering this a huge failing on my behalf but also on the behalf on everyone I’ve ever met who hasn’t told me to listen to this.

pretty good, cool to see how they’ve evolved over time from this

pretty solid and creative debut album Favorite Songs: 5/4, New Genius (Brother), Man Research (Clapper), Sound Check (Gravity), Double Bass, Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo), Starshine, M1 A1

4/5 - Amazing album, not my favourite by Gorillaz but that says more about their others than this one

Top! Niet het beste Gorillaz album, maar wel erg goed

Litt variert, men hit-ene fungerer fortsatt.

Petqcular

I'm sure I've listened to this at some point. Gorillaz is one of my favorite bands, but it's been a long time, for sure. It's not their best album, but it's still good. There's a lot of different music styles ranging from what could have been Blur b-sides to hip hop to electronic, since Albarn was still trying to figure out what Gorillaz actually sounds like. Good record.

Love this first album and was so fun to revisit! Great memories of seeing this tour at 9:30.

Probably closer to 3.5 but some songs push it up to 4

Really strong album. 19/2000, Clint eastwood, tomorrow comes today some real standout classics. Not quite as consistent or experimental as demon days or plastic beach but it's a real anthem of the early 2000s

good debut, hate them now

No podcast

Un pied dans Gorillaz et un pied encore chez Blur mais déjà vraiment chouette

Ja simpel toch

good

I much prefer other Gorillaz records, but this one also has its moments, I enjoy it a lot. I'm happy that there is a Gorillaz record on this list, they absolutely need to be here. One of the most influential bands ever. They are pioneers when it comes to virtual bands.

Masterclass

En mi opinión, el mejor disco de Gorillaz. Puede que sea un poco parcial, ya que este LP fue uno de los primeros que escuché en mi vida (lo recibí como regalo en formato cassette cuando tenía apenas 6 años). El proyecto alternativo de Damon Albarn cuenta con una discografía innegablemente sólida, pero ninguno de los trabajos de la banda virtual (en mi opinión) suena tan fresco, improvisado y necesitado de innovación, urgencia y experimentación. Objetivamente, los singles (a excepción de Tomorrow Comes Today) son los puntos más débiles del disco, escuchándose infantiles; lo que probablemente ha sido provocado por los años y años de circulación radial que han sufrido dichas canciones. Pistas destacadas: 5/4 Tomorrow Comes Today Latin Simone (Qué Pasa Contigo) New genius (Brother) Gravity (Soundcheck) Starshine Slow Country M1 A1

--Re-Hash...I enjoy acoustic guitar-heavy hip hop --5/4...more acoustic guitar. beat not as good as track one --Tomorrow Comes Today...bass sounds like it's underwater (complimentary). also dig the melodica --New Genius (Brother)...a little spooky. I like spooky. kind of a hip hop "People are Strange" --Clint Eastwood...Del is the man--er--the Homosapien! --Man Research (Clapper)...a bit annoying but the beat is pretty sick --Punk...the title isn't lying. interesting diversion but it's a remnant of Damon's squirrel-chasing days in Blur --Sound Check (Gravity)...great bass and the and non-annoying Albarn vocals. sign me up --Double Bass...double the bass double the pleasure, I say. funky instrumental --Rock the House...Del is back and we got a flute. oh hells yeah --19-2000...nice 'n' smooth. until Tina Weymouth comes in. whatever, she can do what she wants --Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?)...it's different. I think I'd rather listen to the tracks on the actual Buena Vista Social Club LP. I can see this being weird enough to eventually grow on me --Starshine...skip --Slow Country...we get an island beat --M1 A1...very repetitive intro. rest of track not strong enough to overcome --Clint Eastwood (Ed Case Refix)...bonus track. not essential at all. good thing I don't factor bonus tracks into my rating

Gorillaz because the bass makes me go ape-mode

finally. like dude im serious finally something FUN coming in. but holy shit damon this could be even better. and thats why i like pulp, oasis and suede more than you guys. 4/5

I mean it's just a fucking classic. There's a reason this band is so revered! The unique aesthetic and lore of its animated characters is very charming, and the songs themselves run the gamut from moody trip hop to energetic alt-rock to sample-heavy funky rap seamlessly, capturing all kinds of moods and styles. It's that kind of spirit that makes the first few Gorillaz albums all-time classics. No Demon Days on this list is a crime, though.

The fact that this has a global rating of about 3.5 is good because that’s exactly what I’d give it. I feel like most people would rank Demon Days and Plastic Beach over this one, but this is obviously important too. Clint Eastwood deserves all its popularity. I have a soft spot for 19-2000 Soulchild Remix. Double Bass stood out among songs I didn’t already know. The album is a little all over the place, in both good ways and bad. A lot of variety, but also decent amount of stuff that didn’t hit with me. But thank god we at least got someone trying something different and interesting sneaking its way onto this damn 1001 list.

Me gustó mucho, me negué a escucharlos cuando era más joven porque según yo eso me hacía sentir cool. Su música es muy diferente a como pensaba que eran.

lovelyt

Clint Eastwood por supuesto un temón. 5/5⭐️ No se que tiene la voz de este loco que es como droga. Gravity 4/5⭐️ Double bass es un temazo para jugar a ser espías. 19-200 me gusta maso pero la conocía 3/5⭐️ pero el remix es un 4/5⭐️ No tenía idea de que existía una canción en español de ellos. No me copo tantísimo. 3/5⭐️

’ve been into the Gorillaz since they began, though I’ll admit that I don’t listen to them much. They’re one of those bands that when a new album comes out, I’ll listen to it for about a month or so, but after that, I may never listen to it again. It’s like I forget how much I enjoy their music. Then I’ll hear it again randomly and think, “Why am I not listening to more of this? This is great.” I have several bands like this, bands that might be my favorite bands ever, but I never listen to. Anyway, Gorillaz is a concept band, and when they debuted, I thought we were heading toward a bunch of bands like this. Gorillaz are essentially a virtual band born out of Blur’s Damon Albarn's and comic artist Jamie Hewlett's minds. Later, Albarn brought in Dan “The Automator” Nakamura to help write the music and add another musician to , Gorillaz is made up of 2-D on vocals, Murdoc on bass, Noodle on guitar and other instruments and Russell on drums. Outside of Albarn, the group collaborated with other artists to make a hybrid of hip-hop, rock, and electronic music. It’s alt-rock, I guess. Gorillaz debuted in 2001 and was nothing like Albarn’s previous music from Blur. You still heard his voice, but the music was more hip-hop or trip-hop, as some might call it. At the time of Gorillaz's debut, I was sensing a dearth of solid rock and roll as all rock bands were trying to sound like the next White Stripes or the next Godsmack, so I was looking for music that sounded different or weird. I then heard the first single off the album, Clint Eastwood, and I thought, “What’s this here?” There was a familiarity to the song, probably the very loose interpretation of the whistled line from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. But it also sounded so weird. Albarn sang the hook, and that hook sank in deep. Such a great song. Del the Funky Homosapien rapped the verses. Plus, the video was amazing. The song works better with the video. This would be one of the first bands, if not the first, whose music was created with the video in mind. At this time, MTV was just starting to slip away and become Ridiculousness TV. So you could still see music videos, and a cartoon band kind of relies on the visual medium to get its message across. I bought the album after I heard Clint Eastwood, and to be honest, I kind of expected all the songs to be Clint Eastwood. I should have known better. The album starts out with Re-Hash, which is closer to a song you might hear from Blur. It’s got hip-hop elements, but an acoustic guitar lays the main riff. Miho Hatori also sings on the song. Track 2 is 5/4 and it's even more like a rock song. It’s got a great riff propelling it forward, with Albarn’s vocals again singing. I love this song. It’s got electronic music as the bed, but it’s a rock song. do Track 3 is Tomorrow Comes Today and it was the fourth single off the album. This song has a meoldica on it, as does many Gorillaz songs. It’s almost a signature instrument for the group, though it’s used sparingly. Albarn plays it. I’ll admit, I have no memory of the video for this song, but after viewing it, it’s not as good as most of their videos. It’s a very chill song with messages about paranoia and how you can be trapped by fame. Fortunately, I’m not in that trap. Track 4, New Genius (Brother), is a slow blues jam of all things. Albarn sings the verses in this high falsetto. The song samples a Bo Diddley song called Hit Or Miss. It’s very different from everything so far on the album, but it isn’t. It fits, as it’s a very chill song. The song warns about trusting strangers. Track 8, Sound Check (Gravity) is what I’d call trip-hop. It’s an “instrumental,” I guess you’d call it. Albarn does sing a hook of sorts. Otherwise, it’s all samples and beats with a cello that really makes things sound ominous. Track 9, Double Bass, is also an instrumental. It has even fewer vocals than New Geniius. It sounds like what I imagine a hipster robot would create in his virtual dorm room at college. Albarn was really smart in the singles they chose, as those songs were clearly the best songs on the album, or at least the most accessible. The third single off the album, Rock the House, and it's almost part 2 of Clint Eastwood as Del the Funky Homosapien is back rapping, and even the music video seems to pick up after the Eastwood video. I never dove (or is it dived?) into the Gorillaz to see if there are other videos for non-singles or a whole other video world beyond what I’ve seen on MTV or YouTube. That might be an interesting deep dive. Track 11 is 19-2000, and I immediately recognize the song. It seems the song is also known as Get the Cool Shoeshine. It is a nice, poppy, happy song. It is definitely an outlier when it comes to the mood of this album. Albarn is singing on the song, but he has help from Hatori and Tina Weymouth on the Get the Cool Shoeshine part. It’s a really fun song. As I finish up the album, I realize this just didn’t hit me the way I thought it would, or had when I heard it in 2001. I’m beginning to wonder if this was the album I was thinking about. Age tends to erase the chalkboard of your mind. I think maybe it was Demon Days that I'm remembering. I can’t keep the albums straight, of which there are nine. Albums two and three are my favorites. I recommend listening to this album, or at least Clint Eastwood and 19-2000. I’d rather you listen to Demon Days or Plastic Beach and circle back to their debut. While this album is a worthwhile listen, Gorillaz get much better from here.

If I could give decimals would be like 4.8, good shit

This was one of those bands people in high school somehow knew about but I never got into them back then. Im familiar with some stuff, but this album feels a little slower to me. There are some bangers on this album. "Punk" is definitely my speed.

Pretty cool album. Gorillaz was one of those bands I've heard good things about but never really listened. Safe to say they are very good. 5/4 and 19-2000 were my favorites. 7.5/10.

aguante gorillaz loco

Gorillaz is kinda what life has to be. Fun.

So far in the project I’ve come across several artists that I was familiar with & interested in & had an idea that I’d like, but I just never got around to. They’re almost entirely before-my-time &/or far off my beaten path. These cats were smack in the middle of my time & all over my path. I liked what I heard but they somehow never reached high enough priority to earn my dedicated attention. Now that I’m around to it, sure enough it’s pretty damn good. Dig. Deep cuts as good or better than the hits. Fo’sta Love Del. Hope to see him some more on this list

Still dig it

Gorillaz appeared to arrive fully formed, but it was perhaps visually and conceptually rather than musically. While it may have seemed like a leap for Albarn, in reality, this debut is a lot closer to Blur than to what Gorillaz would soon become. The stunning contributions by Del the Funky Homosapien on two of the singles give the impression of musical collaboration that would become a feature of Gorillaz, but elsewhere it's largely the 2-D (Albarn) show vocally. This is not a criticism though; the album is admirably experimental, introduces elements of Jamaican dub, world music and of course hip hop, and refuses to play things safe along the way. Shoutout to Dan the Automator as producer if he is as responsible as it seems for pulling together a coherent work from such disparate ingredients. This debut was improved upon but, as what probably felt like "my next move" to Damon, rather than something he'd still be doing 25 years later, this was a solid start.

Very good i like it 4 stars

Album # 64, Gorillaz, Gorillaz, ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I have a soft spot for Gorillaz. I saw them live a few years ago while I was on acid, and even though the memory is a bit foggy, it was one of my favourite concert experiences. One of my earliest musical memories is the release of Clint Eastwood back in 2001 when I was about 9 or 10. As a big gamer at the time, I was fascinated by this computer game band on MTV. It actually took me until the last few years to properly get into them though. I really love how they sound like a bunch of people in a room just messing around and having fun, and that definitely comes across here. It’s a fun album, but it’s a lot more lowkey than I remembered. It leans into that trip-hop style, quite sparse and minimalist at times, and it’s all tied together by Damon Albarn’s vocals and songwriting. You could definitely question why this is on the list ahead of Demon Days or Plastic Beach, which I think are both better records. Maybe it’s because this was the debut and felt more groundbreaking at the time, even if the image was more innovative than the music itself. Still, it’s a great album and one I’ll always have a bit of nostalgia for.

This album just kinda hits right, even though I can't specifically say why. It's eclectic, but not too much so. It's just quite enjoyable.

Formative

There's so much about the Gorillaz I don't like, but this album isn't it. There's maybe one song on here I didn't like, and all 3 intro songs are spectacular

On comprend l’impact qu’a pu avoir l’album sur la musique. On sent les influences rock anglais mêlées à la culture du sample de hip hop et donc de la musique noire. Le tout donne un son riche, une ambiance joueuse presque espiègle, parfois inquiétante toujours cool kids sans pression. Rock the house, Latin Simone, Slow country.

I really like this album a lot. There are songs that I love and listen to frequently to this day and I appreciate the experimental nature of many of the tracks and the concept of the band in general. That said, this is not a no skip album so it clocks in at a 4.

Klassiker!

Det finns 2-3 låtar som ger den en 4:a. Men resten är så där.

Koolaste aporna sedan Donkey Kong.

I got this album back when it came out. But sure I listened to much other than 19-2000. It’s pretty good

Qué puedo llegar a agregar yo de una álbum tan conocido? Tiene himnos re mil conocidos como "Clint Eastwood" y "19-2000", canciones muy buenas como "punk" o "M1 A1", es extraordinario y muy característico de la banda. Igual Damon Albarn sos un bigilante por bardear al grunge con Blur.

Liked: Tomorrow Comes Today, New Genius (Brother), Clint Eastwood, Sound Check (Gravity), 19-2000, Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo), M1 A1, Added: Tomorrow Comes Today, New Genius (Brother), Clint Eastwood, Sound Check (Gravity), 19-2000, Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo), M1 A1,

Surprised I liked this so much

Wiem, że płyta jest dobra, kiedy nawet instrumentalne utwory nie wybijają mnie z rytmu. Jest swag, jest charyzma, jest pełno ciekawych, odważnych kompozycji no i przede wszystkim jest klimat. 8.5/10 równane w dół.

A great first attempt with memorable tracks that are nostalgic for me but maybe a bit too experimental, knowing how the future albums sound.

Es Gorillaz por ende iba a ser bueno pero asi y todo siento que se nota mucho que era un debut. Es un clásico pero me gustan mucho más Demon Days o Plastic Beach. Obviamente Clint Eastwood es histórico

Quirky. I can see Anna loving this

gran disco debut, si bien se valora mucho la experimentacion y que demuestre otras capacidades de damon, por momentos se siente como si no hubiese una direccion concreta. pero bueno es un poco la gracia de gorillaz, ser un proyecto sin ataduras

I enjoyed it much more than when I was a teen when it came out

Love this one

If I dislike one band with Damon Albarn and like another band with him, does that average out to a neutral opinion of Damon Albarn? Is he the artist who appears on this list the most?

Should absolutely not be tearing up listening to Clint Eastwood like those lyrics are profound but its 2026, leave me alone. 3.5

Never heard the whole album before. Probably had some aversion because "Clint Eastwood" was so overplayed. I was wrong. This is one of the most entertaining things I've heard in a long time. This has a ton of stylistic variety, it's mostly uptempo with that low-key British hip hop vibe, a bit weird but still accessible. Well deserved place on this list.

Even though I knew two songs from this album, I didn't really know what to expect. There was some interesting sounds throughout and some sounds that weren't for me. Overall a solid listen. I'd prefer to rate this a 3.5, but I'm okay with a 4.

I seriously enjoyed this, but could expect at least a bit of that with the known involvement of Damon Albarn. Also obvious was the guest spots of Del tha Funky Homosapien, but I didn't realize his collaborator Dan the Automator was the producer. Great beats throughout, and nice variety.

First true experience with Gorillaz and damn, I've been missing out. Will definitely be checking more of their work out. Each track has its own flair and both stand out as individual pieces but works in great cohesion, too. Favorite track: Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo)

one of the easiest ratings ever. hard ass album

Other than Clint Eastwood, not sure I know much of this. I’m sure there’s a few other songs I’ll recognize as they were huge when Clint Eastwood came out. This is fun and different. Feels very different than the Blur album I’ve listened to for this. Definitely not that Britpop sound. The album sucks you in with the first four songs, all solid and giving off a vibe and teasing all the subtle hip hop influences then hits you with the banger that is Clint Eastwood, a full blown alt rock/hip hop jam. Great start to an album. It slows down for a few songs after that but definitely stick with that vibe. Comes back strong when Rock the House comes on, followed by 19-2000, both solid tracks. I think this is a solid 4. Loses some momentum in the middle but has a great unique quality to it.

Damon Albarn may have been the most talented musician of the Britpop scene.

Gorillaz was an art project that ended up being so commercially successful that it carried forward into one of most influential acts of the 2000's, with staying power in the decades that followed. It's not hard to see the appeal, if you're at all a fan of cartoons, Deltron 3030, Blur, concept artists, etc. There's so much to enjoy here, even if several songs simply don't make sense or mean anything. It's just good music for the vibe of it!

Interesting!! I was obsessed with Clint Eastwood when I was like 10 and I would’ve never thought the rest of the songs on the album would’ve sounded the way they did. I wasn’t a huge fan which is surprising to me. I honestly thought this would be a 5 star album. I guess it’s too punky/alt for me. I like Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo) so much though I am so glad to have found that song. I was going to give 3 stars but because of that song I’m giving it 4.

I've listened to this album probably a hundred complete times. It was just good background music at my stereo shop. Tune in periodically and sing along. It's a really great album with good variance and pacing.

Un muy buen comienzo para una banda como Gorillaz, trip hop y rock alternativo, un álbum que a mí parecer está algo cargado hacia adelante, pero que la segunda mitad tampoco es una mierda, está bastante bien 8/10

banger

Love the Gorillaz and I’m so exited to see them this year!!

So good!!

Not sure Gorillaz are meant to be whole album doods. I've always liked them, but it's been based on the singles. Never heard a whole album by them before and it turns out that's fine. The singles are great, really great. "Clint Eastwood" and "19-2000" are wonderful tunes that don't really sound like anything else. Musically, it's always fun. The guests that play on the various albums and tunes are usually high quality. Hell, you've got Talking Heads on here. Good enough singing, Del has some good raps, and the lyrics are funky, different, interesting usually. Sometimes a bit repetitive, and that always drives me nuts. But I just don't find the whole album enjoyable. The non-singles are a step down in quality. It's palpable. I think "Re-Hash" is a bad choice as the lead song. It's prolly ok to be on here, but it's just average and it doesn't lead you to believe the rest of the album is going to be a treat. Bad lead in. Signing on "Punk" and "Sound Check" are Damon's worst. It's s shame because the music is pretty good. Not too much to say about it, really. Id definitely by the Gorillaz greatest hits before listening to their whole albums again. Feels weird for me to give this a 4 when more than half of it is so mid. But the singles are So Good!

Approaching what truly makes Gorillaz such a great project but the vision isnt truly realized until Demon Days. Still wildly creative and fun with too many standouts to ignore.

3.5

Nice listenable pop

Clint Eastwood stays goated

I'm not usually a dance music dude or an electronica dude. This album is a lot of that, and a lot of other things too, and the synthesis of them adds up to something unique and pretty great. This and Demon Days are both excellent albums. There's a weird alchemy to what Albarn does with his collaborators that just hits. The few places where he make little pop-punk ditties ("Punk" "M1 A1") are bops. The rap-rock stuff with Del works for me, probably mainly because Del has the same weird cool as the entire project. And there's a lot of the rest of it that is just a great, mellow groove. Music to listen to while out on a walk, bobbing your head just a teeny-tiny bit.

Gorillaz

8/10

Album is great but always so different what I remember it being. They should’ve done a full collab album with Del imo

When I was younger I only liked Clint Eastwood but now I really dig this album.

There was a little bit of filler on here in my opinion that could’ve been trimmed out, but the bangers on this album hit hard so it didn’t really matter.

A "virtual band" hey? Kind of dates this one I suppose. There's some good tracks on here and not as overplayed as Demon Days.

4/5

A new kind of Brit Rock for a new millennium. I remember how fresh “Clint Eastwood” and the music video were when it came out… Not that I had the language to describe what I was hearing back then. As a teenager, this was alt enough that it didn’t feel weird to like it, but popular enough that people would know who you were talking about.

Some of the album felt a bit like an audio scrapbook, as if Albarn was trying out ideas in the studio and just threw things onto the record with working titles like “5/4,” “Double Bass,” and “Punk” (although that last track was a favorite of mine). But then I take a step back and try to reconcile that slapdash impression with the fact that this is a really clever concept album. The idea of a virtual band is really refreshing, even listening today, and I love how Del the Funky Homosapien name-checks his “collaborators.” The play with artifice reminds me of the complex distance between product and producer, recalling everything from The Monkees to Sgt Pepper to the Spiders from Mars or Tame Impala. I also have to commend the impeccable selection of real life collaborators, and the features with Del and Miho Hatori were some of the biggest highlights for me.

I'm very attached to this album. When I first heard it (I listened to Demon Days first) I was mesmerized by the production. Variety of vocal styles, "trip-hop" stoner music, and fictional band members made this a favorite band for a midnight middle school toker. Relistening to this all this time later I still find myself thoroughly enjoying just about every track. The concept of Gorillaz is 5 stars. The album is 4. It's close to a 5 for me, but like the person I was when I first listened to this album some of the tracks are just to hazy.

Definitely a great debut. And it only got better from here.

Loved this for years. It's not a hugely consistent album, but I quite like the eclecticism.

Cuatro por los hits que son tremendos, pero algunas rolas suenan más a experimentos que pues… rolas. Posdata, ya escucharon The Mountain. Es tan fucking bueno

The last time I liked a band for their show more than their music was probably my first love, Alice Cooper, but Gorillaz got me, on second listen I'd probably have given this a 3 and moved on if the cartoon band and fictional mythology weren't so much fun all in itself. The mid-tempo almost lo-fi sound plus Damon's super-processed old radio in a culvert vocals always put me off on the front half of the album, but then the energy picks up from Double Bass on and I'm pulled back in. It's starting to feel more familiar after a couple weeks. Plus The Mountain 25 years later marks an artist on a big journey, I'm intrigued to hear the trail of albums from there to here, and then Jamie on visuals and story refusing to stay still as well, so much to dip into here. A dozen listens and three albums in, still intrigued.

Never noticed before that "Clint Eastwood" has a bit of a boom-bap meets dub vibe with the melodica à la Augustus Pablo. Lots to say about this album, but I don't have the time to write a long review. I really enjoyed most of the tracks, and I think that if I listened to this album more, I would enjoy all of them.

Good stuff, haven't listened to this in a very long time. Very good record, altough I only know 2 songs here, still probably almost 4 stars, rated 3.5 on RYM, I expect the other record of theirs on this list to be even better

Middle school bangers

This is a really cool album. I'm familiar with a lot of Gorillaz songs, but never sat down and listened to an entire album. It's such a consistent sound and fully realized listening experience. They know their sound and style and stick to it, while still being experimental. Great one! Top Songs: Tomorrow Comes Today, Re-Hash, Clint Eastwood, Double Bass, 19-2000, Slow Country

no lo escuchaba desde los 13

Pure nostalgia.

Gorillaz are a massive part of the 2000s, and it's kind of crazy that the group stayed relevant for so long. I enjoyed a lot of the hits and they were a group that everyone explored at some point. It's kind of shocking that the debut album is on here and not demon days. It makes it seem like the group was just unique when they came out, not a critical and commercial success. Feel Good Inc is one of the biggest hit songs of the 2000s. The debut is great though. Not something I listen to all the time but solid.

I listened to this quite a bit when it came out, so I'm familiar with it. The real good part of this for me was always moving trip hop style beats out of lounges and clubs and on to mainstream radio. Damon Alban's goofiness with blur comes through as well, and really makes the group what it is. It was all really fresh in 2001, even though it spawned a ton of imitators and it all sounds a bit old now. There's still plenty of genre variation within the album and nearly all of it really works, the only track I find a bit annoying is Latin Simone, but that's just me. The visual aesthetic accompanying the band is also a big part of it especially considering they don't really "exist" in the real world. It was a cool idea at the time that wouldn't really fly now because we have actual "AI" performers that are entirely made up and generated instead of artfully created. Anyway, I like this album and I like Gorillaz in general, even if the staying power hasn't aged as well as I had hoped. It's lost a tiny bit of the shine simply by being the first ones to really get popular in the mixed electronic/alt rock style.

I've never listened to this! Obviously, I've heard Clint Eastwood enough to run through the entire song in my head. I wasn't surprised by the variety on the album due to the differences between the Gorillaz singles throughout the years, and the variance was enough to keep me on my toes but not so much as to be frenetic. Great stuff, guy from Blur.

Get the cool shoeshine :D

It can't be understated the impact this release had on the UK music scene. It's a weird experiment from the frontman of Blur, different from his previous stuff and very varied, but it paid off. Not all bangers but a lot to like in here.

Not quite as good as Demon Days. But solid.

muy bueno, no mi estilo, pero muy bueno

Great record that is eclipsed by 2 of its successors. The singles are all classics and even more experimental moments like double bass are great. Unfortunately the last few tracks aren’t as good to me, but the excellent closer saves it from being a boring ending.

Clint Eastwood will forever be a classic.

I love Gorillaz but I imagine their first album is not the best of their work, I wish that some of their other albums were on it. Still, this was very good and I enjoyed it. I think that this is an album that I would listen to again, especially since there are a lot of songs and they sort of blended together at points. Clint Eastwood is of course great but I also really liked Re-Hash and Tomorrow Comes Today. Overall, it's interesting, it's funky, and it's fun.

Top notch, aside from every time Damon Albarn opens his gob

Classic, start of something huge

did not expect to see this.

very good first album. Gorillaz is just nice :)

Gets a 4 because they’re good but they can’t all be as good as Clint Eastwood.

I haven’t listened to the Gorillaz much. Really good album. Put some songs in my rotation

opening spotify at work while Rock the House was playing was a terrible idea

Clint Eastwood will always be one of the most epic songs ever also just found out Del the Funky Homosapien is Ice Cube’s cousin

Not their best album but still pretty stinking awesome!

I liked this album a lot back in the day, and it really holds up for me. Damon Albarn might put his soul into Blur, but his whole body goes into Gorillaz here. Millennium Funkadelic

Wystarczająco energiczna. Jak na mój gust za mało tekstu, który można od razu zrozumieć. Świetna muzyka do puszczenia w tle. 4/5

A strong and very creative album. I respect.

Re-Hash - 4/5 5/4 - 4/5 Tomorrow Comes Today - 4/5 New Genius (Brother) - 3/5 Clint Eastwood - 5/5 Man Research (Clapper) - 3/5 Punk - 3/5 Sound Check (Gravity) - 3.5/5 Double Bass - 4/5 Rock the House - 4.5/5 19-2000 - 5/5 Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?) - 3.5/5 Starshine - 3/5 Slow Country - 3.5/5 M1 A1 - 3.5/5 There are parts in here where they absolutely smashed it out of the park. Clint Eastwood is iconic for a reason, and this album's inclusion on the list could be solely due to that. And there are also parts where I feel the creativity kind of peters out, especially towards the end. But ultimately it's a good first start for what was essentially a side project that ended up becoming Damon Albarn's main project. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: Clint Eastwood, Rock the House, 19-2000

Fjern 5 låter og karakteren hadde også blitt 5.

this album is pretty good, but Demon Days better be on this list!!

So close to 4 stars , the trip hop is real, love a lot of it. A bit too long for my taste, seems to be a thing with Albarns music. But still really good

Not my favourite Gorillaz album but I do still love all the the experimental stuff going on in this album.

I had no idea that Gorillaz was linked to Blur through Damon Albarn and I think that just makes me like this album even more. There's something about the idea of a virtual band that I find really engaging and I'm now tempted to go listen to more of their albums as I am currently only familiar with the songs Feel Good Inc and Clint Eastwood. Thought the vibes were on point and really enjoyed this one!

rnb rulez

Of course Clint Eastwood is a classic song, but man, this album has some really good tracks. Very enjoyable listen.

This was a fun listen! Such an interesting concept and a very creative record overall. So many different fun sounds to dive into and I like the breadth of the album with a run time of over an hour. Gorillaz always makes me think of my friend, Raph, who LOVED Gorillaz in high school. Easy 4/5 stars for this one, contemplated giving it 5/5 but it didn't quite bump the needle to the top. I would dive into this one again.

Good. Well designed and arranged. Diverse. Catchy but not simplistic. Liked slow country.

I never had a personal relationship with Gorillaz but I was always somewhat familiar with them and the album artwork stuff, videos, etc. It was definitely cool and fun to listen to this album, like all the lo fi sounding beats are really cool but it didn’t blow me away. I’m debating between a 3 and 4 but will bump up to a 4 because it’s super unique, especially considering the landscape of music when this came out.

So glad we got to this album, there’s so much to talk about and how influential it is. Blur is great, but it’s really hard to beat the Gorillaz. Clint Eastwood is such a classic, there’s so many great beats, and I always forget 19-2000 is on this album as well. Could hear arguments for a five, but I think a four is right where this needs to be.

An awesome and unique album! I've only ever listened to the radio hits by Gorillaz, so this was my first time really diving into them. The whole album is a vibe. It's definitely long but I didn't notice it too much. You can easily flow through the whole thing. The idea of a "virtual band" feels like such a weird 2000's thing that shouldn't work. It's crazy to think that not only did it work, but the concept of a virtual band is bigger than ever with artist like Hatsune Miku. Cool band, and cool album.

As an avid enjoyer of the second album Demon Days, I actually found myself enjoying this more raw unpolished version of Gorillaz. There’s times when the Blur slips through and there’s some tracks that feel almost unfinished. However it remains a great listen back to front and there’s some real classic songs here mainly “Clint Eastwood” and “tomorrow comes today” Overall I really enjoyed 3.9/5, rounded up for good measure.

First time listening to the whole album I really like it. My favourite was probably Rock The House I thought it was very funky made me bust a move ngl. 🔥

Heel dicht bij vijf sterren, maar hier en daar nog een beetje shaky. De hits staan nog steeds als een huis, en het hele concept en mengeling van stijlen bij Gorillaz is geboren op dit album. Het mist alleen nog een beetje de focus die de volgende albums van gorillaz wel hadden en soms schemeren de inspiratiebronnen van dit album wel heel erg door. Dat gezegd hebbende, fijne plaat die een mooi scharnier vormt tussen de 90's en 00's. 8/10

wasn't sure what to expect but i quite liked this and will be listening to the rest of their albums

I'd heard snippets of some of these songs before, so I had somewhat of an idea of what this was going to sound like. Honestly, I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would.

Incredible album, full of bangers. Computer generated bliss, really nice to run in the background.

GORILLLAZZZZ- saved 7/17

Not certain if I'd say this is the best thing Damon Albarn has done. (probably not. I still like Blur as a band) But damn if it isn't the most fun. Plus I like anything that has Miho Hattori on it.

This is a nice album. I like it still.

3rd best Gorillaz album with the best Gorillaz song

Det va jo helt ok, men æ e fortsatt mest nysgjerrig på koffor Damon Albarn laga et album med masse tegneseriefigurer??? Alt folk finn på.

-Solid album from start to finish with a lot of tracks i really like. -my immediate favourites were clint eastwood, sound check, double bass, rock the house, and 19-2000 -the album had a strong atmosphere, with a lot of different sounds, yet all of them fit the vibe in some way, with only a few i thought were a bit underbaked like man research (that one grated on me) -i will probably appreciate it more on subsequent listens i was excited to see gorillaz pop up, i definitely already liked their music before fully listening to this album, especially plastic beach

Like that it’s experimental but some of these experiments do not go right. Some bangers though. Specific rating - 4.1 Fav song - Clint Eastwood / rock the house Least fav - sound check (gravity)

Great album. Like the lo-hi aspects to it (leans into it more than their later albums). Some tracks I might cut, as I didn't enjoy them as much. And of course, Clint Eastwood is a banger

Back when the first edition of the book was released, Gorillaz was just a cool novelty project from a beloved Britpop star. At the time, their lore hadn't been established and their then current album Demon Days hadn't become the modern classic it is today. So, it is no surprise this was the editors' choice of Gorillaz album for the book. This is not to say this isn't a good album. It does a great job of presenting the world of the band only through sound and style, rather than the world-building narratives of later records. The stylistic range here is remarkable, and everything sounds fresh, colorful and vibrant. We almost forget the characters in the band aren't real with how well their different personalities are established here. Key tracks: Re-Hash 5/4 Tomorrow Comes Today Clint Eastwood Rock the House 19-2000

8/10 - great debut album, strong indie rock urban beats

Maybe 4.5/5

Got better as it went along but skipped the last song

Enjoyed it, great tunes. Original for its time but still holds up

Missing some oumphs, but you can hear a seed of greatness. 7/10

This album changed the zeitgeist in the 2000s by being a vision and sound that people didn't see coming. Is it a masterpiece? No. It's flawed, but still important because it offered an alternative to pre-packaged pop.

The OG “Lofi beats to study to” Crazy how the production still translates so well to modern day.

Great though the last half has many weker simpler songs and while the songs are very distinct between each other none really make enough of an impression on me on their own to really appreciate the variety.

I forgot what a good trip hop album this is. The punkier ones aren't quite as good but inject the trip hop and dub into my veins

It was nice. A lot more diverse than I anticipated

Great first album by a legendary band. Definitely sets them up for success on their later works. I expect Demon Days and Plastic Beach to show up on this list later on. I prefer both of those albums over this one, but it's still good work.

1st album I’ve already listened to, really good.

neymar hating

Very innovative and fresh on its release, still holds up well. One I occasionally return to, albeit only for the Del Funky Homosapien numbers.

Kjempealbum! Holder seg overraskende bra enda. Men e enig i at det strekker seg litt vell mye ut, spesielt mot slutten. Kunne trimma en del kjøtt av låtene.

4/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/gorillaz/gorillaz/ Listened to this plenty before. While the album has its undoubtable highs (19-2000, Clint Eastwood, 5/4, and some others), it is not nearly as strong as the two Gorillaz classics that would follow.

Loveee - different but in such a unique and funky way I love it

consistant, catchy and fun

Astoundly adverturous and fun, this album is a must-have.

A classic.

7/10

Clint Eastwood was on Nick's Mix 1 and it hits with so much nostalgia. The rest of the songs were pretty good too. Punk came out of nowhere with its, well, punk vibes. I had to check that the album didn't finish and songs were going rogue. I dug it all though.

Dit album ken ik natuurlijk heel goed aangezien die het schoonmaak album was vroeger. Heb lang niet het volledige album gehoord

Great album, I liked all the songs. Great beats with lots of variety in the music and great vocals and delivery. This is a top notch album that is well produced as well. I don't really have anything bad to say about it, it's a great listen.

very fun and energetic. lots of unique stylistic choices.

Not bad There were some good songs and some bad. Overall, it was a pretty good album, though.

It's a seminal album for me, one in which the CD was gradually worn down due to repeated and wanton use. I'm back to my college days. It's a fun and funky album, mixing just enough hip-hop and dance to not feel one-note. Fantastic music, singing, rapping, beats, everything. While it does hold a special place in my heart, I can't say I enjoyed revisiting ALL the tracks once again. Clint Eastwood, Rock The House, 19-2000 all are easy listens. I would finish each song every time. Some of the others, I'm ok to skip. But overall it's a very favorable album for me.

I've always found it a cool album. It also laid the foundation for the next album which is great.

Till skillnad från "Demon Days" och deras verkliga mästerverk "Plastic Beach", har det här mycket mer av en mixtape-känsla. Dock väldigt många låtar jag har nära hjärtat och jag uppskattar utforskandet!

Debuten är inte bästa Gorillaz men nog finns det tillräckligt med guld för en 4a! Alltid varit extra svag för 5/4!

shout out till min lågstadiecrush som introducerade mig till gorillaz

Good. Kinda like a British nine inch nails without the edgyness. 5/4 and Clint Eastwood are my standouts

Groovy og lekent. Nesten alle låtene er for lange.

favorite - slow country 8/10

As someone who already loved Gorillaz but was mostly listening to Feel Good Inc and Clint Eastwood, it was nice listening to some of their other tracks for one ! I just love how their style is very unique and sets a special kinda mood I feel really comfortable in.

Very interesting seeing how much Gorillaz' sound has changed over the year. Some songs are very chill, while others are very grungy.

Blueprint for what makes the Gorillaz great Fave track: Clint Eastwood

Underrated start to an elite discography. 19-2000 remix might be one of my favourite remixes of all time. 4.5/5

When I was younger I used to be obsessed with the concept of gorillaz.

I only knew the singles but I really like this album, will def return to it

Fav: 5/4 Tomorrow comes today Clint Eastwood 19-2000

Love

I love all the creativity and variety in this album. There is a lot of songwriting talent here and great hooks. Damon Albarn’s vocals are very good. 4/5

what i was expecting and also not definition of smooth/cool

One of those where I wasn't certain what score I'd give it, and had to look at my ranking of albums to date to determine where I'd slot it in the order of "want to listen to again". There are some solid tracks in here, and an awful lot of filler. In the end, it's pretty chill with some great tracks sprinkled in. 4/5

I get it.

Revisiting this album made me feel nostalgic. Hearing it now, Re-Hash sounds so Blur-like that it wouldn’t feel out of place on one of their albums. I really like the loose, laid-back vibe and slow grooves of tracks like 5/4 and Tomorrow Comes Today.

Nunca tinha dado a chance para essa banda, e gostei.

3/3. The first 3, I obviously knew this album being a Gorillaz fan, but had never actually listened to it start to finish. So many cool ideas, great production, still sounds as innovative and fun today as it probably did the day it came out. Not really any skips or bores on the album for me, this would be an instant recommendation from me.

This album felt extremely odd and different than anything else when it was released, but it holds up to this day. But, I kinda prefer Demon Days.

Great breakout album. Really set the pace for the Gorillaz’ original sounds.

Some real classics on this album, I believe it’s an album that has a great relisten value, perfect for throwing on when you’re just working around the house, or you just want something fun background music, it’s not too much but also isn’t monotonic. A diverse album with songs that surprise you, also I think it will only get better on repeat visits.

Absolutely love the weird vibe. Lots of bangers 4/5

Really interesting production and some great tunes

Damon Albarn, from Blur, created the Gorillaz as an "animated band" that kind of explored all musical styles. They were completely unique when they came out and absolutely blew up. The animated style, the anonymity, combined with the super catchy beats, it was hard to avoid them when Clint Eastwood came out. For those who haven't seen it, I would suggest watching the music video for Clint Eastwood and Feel Good Inc for an idea. I've obviously heard their singles many time, but this is the first time listening to their whole album and I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of styles that they brought. A lot of trip hop and lo-fi mixed with some other styles. Gorillaz were one of those culturally significant groups that everyone knew. I think this is a valid inclusion as they were huge and so different that it's worth checking out.

I didn't like every track, but enjoyed overall. Would listen to more by them, curious about later stuff.

I mostly liked it, although part of me feels like I’m just supposed to like it. It has two songs I knew, including the one that goes “I’m happy, feeling glad” and those are good, along with some others. There’s somewhat of a range of sounds in their songs. Overall I’d listen again but not on repeat

Demon Days and Plastic Beach would be my picks, but this is a very good debut

Idk if I'll listen to it all today but this is one of not my favourite albums but it's by one of my favourite artists!!!!! I actually jumped for joy when I saw this. I love the moodyness and electronicyness. Some of my favourite tracks are re hash, 5/4, tomorrow comes today, 19200, rock the house and Clint Eastwood. Note to self go listen to the ones you don't normally listen to and see if you like them a little more this time round. It's definitely not my fav gorillaz album but it's up there. What do you know man research clapper is actually a banger.

The good stuff is really good but there's a lot of weird stuff mixed in there

Really liking the groovy low-key melodicness, especiall the bassline. Not too big of a fan of the Punk influences (especially noticable in Punk and M1 A1). Standout tracks are Clint Eastwood and 19-2000.

A landmark in music and it took everything by storm, hypnotic rythms and the ever so catchy lyrics, it took rap influences, rock sounds and impressive collaborations into this amalgamation of songs that have transcended time, so relevant and listenable all this years later. Astounding.

Heard it before. I like Gorillaz but Demon Days should've been on the list instead of this album. Self Titled isn't even my favourite Gorillaz album, it has some bangers but also it's just a bit too long. Still, my only chance to rate Gorillaz on this list 4/5

some of these songs are sooo good

I AINT HAPPY IM FEELING SAD I GOT SUNSHINE IN A BAG

Incredibly creative project.

Love Clinton eastwood. The whole artist brand as a whole is insane, first "virtual" band, loved them.

Reminiscent of Jakob Two-two Intro one song, nostalgic boppy but low key

I've heard better from them

A band that probably a lot of people wrote off as a cartoon gimmick is actually really good, who knew? Also, I got definite flashbacks of the time I used to play piano for Suzuki violin classes when I heard Left Hand Suzuki method.

This really takes me back. Holds up better than I thought

Clasico entre los millenials, una vez mas. Un 4 para vosotros Damon y Jamie

Good but around the halfway mark I was wondering how many more sparse trip hop tracks with Damon Albarn’s croon I could take, but then Double Bass hits and after that this is a really great time. You can feel the bass in Starshine in your soul.

Removed Album #19 (List: https://pastebin.com/cSThNiK9) Fuck yeah, the Rillaz of Gor. It's been a good while since I last rolled an album that I genuinely liked, and this one has sentimental value to boot. Gorillaz were the first band I listened to and this was the first-ever album I grew to appreciate. A rare story, I know. The Gallagher brothers weren't exactly off in their assessment that Gorillaz appealed to freaks, geeks and twelve-year-olds. I have so much to say about this band. The Fall is my favourite album of theirs, so I kind of have a lot of explaining to do in general. There are few greater machines in the music industry than Damon Albarn. The amount of music he was able to pump out from Phases one to three of Gorillaz was truly staggering, especially when you consider that much of his best material was relegated to the B-Sides and rarities. Standing atop this golden era of the band for me was, initially, their debut album. One of my favourite details about the "classic" Gorillaz era that I don't really see being discussed online is how each album represents a member of the band. Demon Days is strongly linked with Noodle due to it's apocalyptic theming and mentions of war. Plastic Beach is Murdoc's album, having written all of it and being the central figure behind it's creation. The Fall is 2-D's album, being created by him in isolation and capturing much of his loopy personality in the underproduced, quirky sound. This debut album is very much Russel's thing thanks to the nocturnal, occultic sound and underground hip-hop feel. This is likely the reason as to why I favoured it early on. Russel has always been my favourite Gorilla. I don't know why. It probably boils down to my contrarian impulse (like all things), though I've always thought he was the most likeable character with the best design. His backstory is pretty cool, and I've always liked how he holds the band together without necessarily being the moral center. The paternal role he assumes for Noodle in phases one to three is pretty sweet, too. Anyways, the album. It's pretty good. While The Fall is the stronger body of music overall, I've always thought that this debut album featured much of their best material, even if it is stretched a little thin at points. Damon thrives when working with an underproduced sound. This is their most underproduced album, ergo it is their most creative and off-the-wall. Of course, the most outstanding feature of this album is the virtual band concept, which I think this album handles better than every other Gorillaz project combined. I prefer to think of Gorillaz as a band that exists in their own monster movie, pop-culture-ified universe rather than as a band that exists in the real world and is rooted in real-world problems (i.e., the exact approach the band would adopt with Demon Days, Plastic Beach and Humanz). The album's general sound is reflective of this difference. I've always really enjoyed how Damon imitates 2-D's cockney accent in the vocals and how many of the songs have a mysterious, morose allure to them. To me, this album really captures the feeling of what music from another world would sound like, though it's relaxed and deliberate enough to where it doesn't come across as alienating. Delving into the more superficial aspects of this album, I've always favoured the visual style of phase one over what came after. The simplistic anatomy, thick lines and freakish facial features go a long way in making these characters expressive, which isn't exactly the case with the albums that followed. Of course, that isn't to knock Jamie Hewlett. The artwork of Plastic Beach is very impressive with how it balances jagged edges and a high level of detail. The surrealist imagery is pretty great too, though I don't think the art pops or is as interesting as the artwork from phase one. Naturally, my bias also extends to the music videos. With the exception of Stylo, the rest of the Gorillaz videography doesn't hold a candle to their phase one output. You can admittedly tell where the budget is showing in the case of Rock the House, Clint Eastwood and Tomorrow Comes Today, but something about these videos are just so likeable. They perfectly capture a balance between cool, stylised imagery and amusing cartoon antics. The videos are also more divorced from the lyrics that they accompany, which I feel results in a more interesting end product. "Re-Hash" is a great opener. That leading acoustic guitar riff is pretty golden. It gives the song a great, layabout energy. The lyrics are nigh-indiscernable, though I kind of like them that way. Miho Hatori's backing vocals are a little awkward as far as the anunciation goes, though I find that endearing. Of course, I shant ever heckle Miho given that she's one of my all-time favourite vocalists. I got into Cibo Matto and Gorillaz at around the same time and I've always thought that their crossover here is neat. I used to dislike "5/4", though I've come around to it. The charming cockney voice is on full display, and I quite like the garage rock feel. It perfectly captures the feeling of starting out in the music biz and making your mark. I've always interpreted the lyrics of this song as being about 2-D coping over being cucked by Murdoc, which is something that actually happened in the Gorillaz canon, for the record. If Re-Hash is a solid opener, 5/4 is a solid mission statement for the band. "Tomorrow Comes Today" is a crazy pivot from the previous two tracks. Of course, it was their first single, but "Ghost Train" (the first-ever Gorillaz song) captures much more of that Rillaz spirit. I'm not sure what headspace Albarn was in while making this tune, though I'm not complaining as it's always been one of my favourites. It's hard not to fall into a lull while listening to this song. I love how the ominous, ambiguous lyrics are paired with that fantastic, forboding piano and harmonica. Great music video, too. It's very early 2000s with all of the blurred photography and old storefronts. I've always loved the iconography of urban night-life, so it's right at home with my interests. "Clint Eastwood". Classic alert. One of the few hip-hop songs that you'll find me listening to. Once again, Damon struck gold with a simplistic leading melody. That piano is fantastic and meshes well with the muffled sound. The background embellishements are pretty good too - especially the horror movie ambience that leads into the second chorus. Del's sections are great, especially during that build-up in the first verse - his vocals pack an incredible punch. My only problem with the song is that it goes on for way too long. You could cut the last two and a half minutes of this song and you'd have a far superior tune. Similarly to the song, the music video has a fantastic first half, but goes out to lunch with the second. Either way, it has some pretty great imagery. It's also a crime that the intro to the music video didn't make it onto the single or the album as it's pretty great and meshes well with the gothic sound. I'm sure "Man Research" is a bit of a polariser, but I like it. The wavy, all-encompasing instrumental is great. I love the way it oscillates, reverses and wraps around me, and the heartbeat percussion which guides the tune is pretty great, too. The vocals are fun. Damon is once again exposing his cockneyness for all to see, and I like the groaning sounds which underscore the squeaky chorus. "Sound Check" was my favourite song on the album for a good while. It still holds up. The nocturnal acoustic guitar is a great lead-in to the song and those turntable sounds take it to the next level. I love the way it's layered and mixed - it sounds so sleek. The vocal style is pretty great, too. Similarly to Man Research, I like how the squeaky vocals are contrasted with the groaning ones. "Double Bass" has been the reigning champion of this album for a quite a while now. Instrumental tracks usually don't work for me when they feature on mostly-vocal albums, though it works perfectly here, both as a continuation of Sound Check and as a segue into the second half of the album. The melody on the bass is so, so good. It captures a feeling of monotony in an intensely gratifying way, notably with how it keeps droning on and building pressure. The moments where the bass breaks and falls into a slump are pretty satisfying. The background instruments are also very good. I love the acoustic guitar that interjects during the bass slumps, and the organ gives the song a surprising level of character. The discordant, strange electronic sounds are also well-matched with the instrumental. Aside from "Hayling" by FC Kahuna, I can't think of a better nocturnal tune than this one. To me, it captures the feeling of being alone in an underground subway in the dead of night, hearing the rumblings of the trains above and around you while you wait for your ticket out of there. "Rock the House" has yet another great music video. I like all of the sports iconography, and the crasse moments with Murdoc are pretty funny. The constant hip-thrusting is kind of mesmerising, I won't lie. I care much less for the actual song, but it's respectable enough. "19-2000". This was the first Gorillaz song that I listened to, which is why it's especially fucked up that YouTube music has the storyboard as the default music video. Anyways, great song. I dig that goofy lead instrument and Damon's vocals are at their best on this track. They're the perfect in-between as far as capturing 2-D's layabout personality and Albarn's panache for singing goes. Miho Hatori's vocal segments are impressive when compared to her usual broken English. I shudder to think of how much Damon had to waterboard her in order to get this performance. Great video. It's a classic. The only one without clear budget limitations, and I love how much character it exudes. Gorillaz actually released a downloadable game where you drive around the track from this video, which I remember being fun. The controls were kind of shitty, but I enjoyed messing with them. There was also a massive hole in the middle of the map that you could fall down, which caused the car revving sounds to become fucked up and distorted before the game eventually crashes, which I thought was hilarious. "Latin Simone" is a great cut. Another song that's all doom and gloom. I can't help but feel like I'm hiding from demons while listening to this tune - the song is heavily entrenched in a feeling of dread. The distinctive Spanish instrumental is matched very nicely with the trip-hop stylings, though it's the Spanish vocals which really win me over. They're a total knock-out - I love the passion and energy they add. There's also an English version of this song performed by Albarn which appears on the Tomorrow Comes Today EP. It's quite a morbid performance - Albarn sounds depressed and hollowed out, though what's coolest about this version is that the Spanish and English lyrics play out like a conversation, with each version having separate lyrics that reference each other. The Spanish lyrics are desperate and consoling as if they're trying to keep someone from committing suicide, whereas the English lyrics are sung from the perspective of someone who has given up on life and is devoid of hope. Both versions sound great when paired together. The fast-paced Spanish vocals are contrasted nicely with the slower, more droll English ones. "Starshine" was another slow-burn for me. I like the directionless, atmospheric feel of the tune. It's a fitting late-album track in that regard. Same goes for "Slow Country". The breathy, stadium-like ambience that hangs over the track clashes with the lonely, stripped-back instrumental, making for a pretty interesting listen. "M1 A1" kicks so much fuckin ass. Great closer - one for the ages. The Day of the Dead sample is genius, and those billowing, infernal, snarling guitars really elevate it. They're so, so good - I have no idea how to properly articulate just how fantastic they are. The drum breaks which usher in the second half of the song are also great, and I love the ghoulish vocals, too. The song captures the feeling of an underworld invasion perfectly. The two remixes at the end of the album get a lot of shit, though I've come to appreciate them. The Clint Eastwood remix is okay. The added vocals are a bit of a swing and a miss, though they're solid in the beginning. I like the twee sound which is added to the instrumental. The faster pace and electronic flourishes on the 19-2000 remix are alright, too. This review is belaboured as fuck, but B-SIDES TIME WOOOOOOOO. "Faust" is my all-time favourite Gorillaz song. I love every second of it. You haven't truly listened to this song until you've popped it in a CD player and listened in awe as the gorgeous, ethereal, reverberating electronic tones bounce off the walls and infiltrate the deepest reaches of your soul. The dreamy sound that the song adopts during the final stretch is also so, so good. My beloved Miho Hattori also makes an appearance. How could this song get any better? It sucks that the minimalistic production leaves me with few things to talk about, but I can't praise the song enough. Required listening if you're a fan of this album and somehow haven't heard it yet. "Left Hand Suzuki Method" is another good cut. The bong hit makes me a little uncomfortable, though I can't complain too much as the growling bass guitar is killer. Once again, Miho makes a feature. I enjoy her aimless babbling about a music curriculum I know nothing about. All of the samples are pretty cool, and I like the quirky oriental sound which runs down the middle of the track. "Dracula" has a neat atmosphere. I like the distant, echoing ska saxes, the distorted guitars and the reggaeton influence which hold the track together. The shameless Britpop vocals also gave me smile. It's impressive how all of these scattered influences come together into a pretty solid package. "12D3" is an unlikely favourite of mine. It's one of the few Gorillaz songs that are sung entirely within character, and it's great when you read between the lines for that exact reason. It only features a guitar, a piano and some other musical embellishments that aren't specific to the bandmates. Ergo, the song is performed by 2-D and Noodle. Because of the song's simplicity, I can picture the two improvising it on a lazy afternoon, which I think is sweet. The aforementioned English version of Latin Simone is also a great deep cut. So, why was this album removed? Beats me, though I can consult the book for why it was in here in the first place. Unique. Had a few successful singles. Outsold Blur in the US and performed very well in the UK. This album was removed in the 2011 edition of the book, which kind of does all the talking, really. Plastic Beach had released and proven to be a bit of a disaster for the band, so I imagine the curators of this list thought the gimmick had run it's course. A shame, though I guess I can understand. Still, I'd save this album from the woodchipper. Like I said, it's the strongest album in their discography from a conceptual standpoint and I haven't come across another album which sounds quite like this one. A perfect blend between unorthodox creativity and general appeal. I've also replaced one of the other albums on this list with Plastic Beach, if only for the fact that's it's sheer ambition as a massive multimedia music project hasn't been matched by any album that came before or after.

Clint Eastwood is really in my favorite 1001 songs (though I think Del carries the song). The Blur influence comes through strong, but still unique.

Funkytown. Weird and wonderful. 🦍

It’s not bad but Demon Days is the one they should’ve went for, and if you prefer gorillaz to blur… actually listen to more blur than song 2 😊

What a great record. Such a unique and special project overall, I remember how befuddled everyone was when the debut came out. What is this? Who are they? Is this real? Well “they’re real, and they’re spectacular.”

Some nice tunes, some less so. 7/10

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MYLIUU. Man tik remixai gale atrodė nereikalingi, o visos kitos labai geros.

This is a good one. Makes you feel like you're hanging out in the subway even tho you have no intention of riding the train. In the best way possible.

Classic songs love gorillaz demon days is def better but

4.25- it’s so cool to hear the origin of Gorillaz! Some great songs

Excited....

Love Damon but a whole album of this gets a bit much. The singles are great, and the bonus track Soulchild remix of 19-2000 is amazing.

I remember listening to this when it came out, and it holds up. Great album.

if it were produced by new world monkeys i'd give it 5 stars.

4.4

Solid debut and nostalgic due to Clint Eastwood.

Fun genre-bending debut for Gorillaz. You can tell they haven't quite figured out their 'sound' yet, but that's what makes it so eclectic. Apparently it was one of the most common records to find in a second hand shop in 2002 as people who were epxecting hip-hop/pop crossovers were confusee of what to make of this almost massive-attack-lite album. Would advsie listening to mezzanine-13-gorillaz to see how their sound formulated. Favourite songs: Re-hash Clint Eastwood Tomorrow Comes Today

“Clint Eastwood”, “19-2000” and “Rock The House” are excellent songs. All of the other songs are okay. Not bad for a debut album from a virtual band.

Come on!! Clint Eastwood!!! Probably a 4.5 from me

Ne mogu se oduprijeti utisku da se od ovih skoro sat vremena mogao izvući još bolji album od četrdesetak minuta. Inače mi ima previše zbrkanih stilova i gostiju da bude kohezivan dojam. Ali dobar album, nema šta. Najviše mi se, naravno, sviđaju pjesme koje podsjećaju na Blur.

Great album, experimental yes. But some of the songs here are perfect.

Sounds good

-oh my god this was such a formative album for me as a kid, my mom would play it for my brother and i all the time. so many songs on here i absolutely adore -i’m not a huge fan of all of it and it’s probably not Gorillaz’ best work, specifically the second half (maybe bc my mom didn’t play it as much?). but it’s still a really fun album and very important to my personal history with music -Favorites are 5/4, Tomorrow Comes Today, Clint Eastwood, Rock The House, and 19-2000

Good nostalgic listen but not top tier worthy

Everything about this album feels pretty bold and in your face, which I think works well. Gorillaz prob has albums I like better (esp plastic beach), but this was pretty solid. Fav songs: Rock the House, 19-2000

Somewhat uneven in concept but consistently excellent in execution

So so good. Can't decide if it is my favourite Gorillaz album. Favourites: Tomorrow Comes Today Clint Eastwood Rock the House 19-2000 Slow Country M1 A1

Moja včerajšnja teorija je bla, da sm zj zapovrstjo mela tok dobrih albumov, da morm dons dobit neki groznega. Ampak, Gorillaz! Prou muska mojih otroških/najstniških let, pa spet nikol nisem nobenega njihovega celega albuma poslušala. Je pa fajn tud zj z odraslega in bolj knowledgeable vidika se lotit albuma, ker vidim cel kup znanih imen zraven - Del the Funky Homosapien, Tina Weymouth & Chris Frantz! Takrat se pa spomnim, da mi še Blur in Damon Albarn ni neki pomenil, sam jasn mi ni blo, kako animirani band obstaja. Ha. So far, pri tretjem komadu sm ("Tomorrow Comes Today"), chill, trip hoppy, pa mogoč še dejansko vague Blur sound? "New Genious (Brother)" je ful preprost, v smislu, da je minimalno spremljave ob vokalih. Fajn komad. Uu, zj pa totalna nostalgija s "Clint Eastwood". Naslednji, "Man Research (Clapper)", je kr kul. "Punk" je zlo punk light. "Sound Check (Gravity)" mi je prou fajn, spet ful trip hoppy. Instrumentalni " Double Bass" je, kot obljublja, ful bassy in všečen. In spet nostalgija z "Rock the House", ki se nadaljuje z "19-2000". In potem suprise komad v španščini, "Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?)". Zadnji komad, "M1A1", ma na začetku iz Day of the Dead dialog, lol. Je pa še najbl rock komad na albumu.

This was a really good album. When it came out radio play loved Clint Eastwood, but for some reason I never listened to the rest of the album. I’m sorry I didn’t but glad it wasn’t too late. I was surprised to see that there was only 2 Dell tha’ Funky Homosapien songs. A key favorites was the downtempo Man Research and Soundcheck (Gravity). The opening track Re-Hash also just grabs you and pulls you in. I may put this into a more consistent rotation.

Random thoughts: * This band has always been a bit strange. Basically a "fake" band by Damon Albarn. Represented by animated creatures. However, the music is 100% real. * Clint Eastwood is definitely one of the better songs of the 21st century. Instantly catchy. I've seen this one covered by at least by 2 different bands. * Rock The House is one of my favorite rap tracks of all time. The lines are hilarious: "seeing all the treasure and the booty", "get funkier than Funkadelic wearing Pampers", & "like I'm on a crack bend, jigglin' and wigglin'; Freaking booties, speaking to the cuties so belligerent" * The whole album is a solid listen for sure too. I really dug Double Bass instrumental track but there are lots of other good ones too. * Seminal indie and rap mashup. Definitely worthy of a 1001 spot.

Oddly, I had never listened to this album all the way through. It’s still so odd and futuristic, but also sounds satirical in a way? What a mind Damon Albarn has. …there is a mocking element, some of the sounds are cheap and sound like game show music but somehow it all works and sounds original and exciting. I definitely enjoyed it and want to go back for a closer listen.

8.0 - Very solid album. Nice progression to have good songs in the middle and end of the album. Lots of good beats, with a handful of really lyrical songs. Best songs were Clint Eastwood (8.8) the Ed Case / Sweetie Refix version (8.7) and Man Research (8.5). My least favorite were Re-Hash (7.5) and M1 A1 (7.6)

Solid but demon days is better

funky and trippy. I like this bc I like all things gorillaz but listening to double bass at 1 am studying for my chem midterm is something I don't feel the need to experience again. i don’t think there was a dull moment in this album and it def helped to stimulate my brain at times but other times i think i got a bit uneasy sitting in my dorm room lounge at 2 am.

I don't tend to like factoring in too many visual elements when I'm evaluating an album but Gorillaz are a complete aesthetic and I love the gritty forever-nineties feel that they have, the album might not be captivating all the time but I'm a fan of style

pretty good

I love this album, it holds a special place in my heart as the beginning of my personal music taste. Still holds up, it’s not their best but it’s their first, as it is a first for me also. 4.7/5.0 Best Song: Rock The House

Mooi man

Me confundió como a todos, pero pego de diferente manera, a mí me duró un buen tiempo su música

Tem uma música muito boa, mas o resto é nada demais

Fabulous classic

There's a reason this album hit big. It's unique and so much fun. For me, personally, it's about 90% amazing and 10% awkward. It's an experience. I can see why it would be listed as a must-listen.

Solid album

Instruments: 5/5 Lyrics/Storytelling: 3/5 Production: 4/5 Vibes: 4/5 Emotional Value: 3/5 Stand Outs: Clint Eastwood, Man Research Overall Rating: 3.8

I have no idea why Damon Albarn worked on this project but I'm glad he did. An amazing amalgam of rock, hip hop, pop, and more. Favorite track: 5/4

Very cool and fun. Interesting to revisit this one so deep into their career — Gorillaz became known for polished, conceptual full albums, and this debut really feels like a loose mixtape of jammin’ tunes. It’s great but pales a little in comparison to Demon Days and Plastic Beach and maybe even some later albums.

What a fun and imaginative record. Being a big Blur fan, I was excited to hear that Damon Albarn was working with Jamie Hewlett and Dan the Automator on a new project. When this record came out, it was such a revelation. “Clint Eastwood” will forever be iconic.

In 2025, Gorillaz are a staple in the music scene. Each album is a collaborative work horse made up of a plethora or music artists with a tracklist spanning a variety of genres. The animated characters have deep lore and character arcs that become expanded with each album. You don't know what you're gonna get the Gorillaz come around but you know it's going to be good. But in the year 2001, Gorillaz was a novel concept album by Damon Alborn. If you were a music nerd, you'd be wondering why the lead singer of Blur was singing over hip-hop beats. If you were a kid, you'd be wondering if this was a new show on Cartoon Network about a band. It was so unique and confusing. Upon first appearances, it was hard to tell exactly what Gorillaz were or were supposed to be. But nonetheless, it was very cool. The debut album isn't full of features that would grow with each album. However, the few collaborative songs would become some of their most famous. Clint Eastwood is the song that ended being most people's introduction to the band and I think it perfectly exemplifies Alborn's vision. A melodica hums throughout the song supporting Alborn's smooth crooning and is eventually broken up by a brash rap verse from Del the Funky Homosapien. The track is complex but very chill and is easy to see why it became a hit. It's a debut album that would set the tone for a legendary 20+ year career for the "band". Like are you really a "cool" music artist if you aren't featured in a Gorillaz song? Probably not. 4.5 Stars

this kind of rocked

Oops almost all bangers.

Liked it better than I thought I would... except for the few random ska songs lol

Classic album with a ton of bangers

Clean instrumentation and beats, syncing a lot of cinematic inspiration and interesting lyrics in their debut sound. It's a really fun album and "Clint Eastwood" is a hall of fame track. However, this album has about 15 minutes of filler, in my opinion, and this knocks the experience down to 4.5/5

Strong out of the blocks but DA's half hearted singing style slightly grated towards end

Hadn’t heard this in years. I realize I mostly know Clint Eastwood. I thought they’d had more hits. Fun listen and very nostalgic.

A whole lot of ding dang fun! 8/10 Favorite tracks- “Clint Eastwood” “19-2000” “Tomorrow Comes Today”

It's a great debut. I find it lacking a bit comparedto Demon Days and Plastic Beach, but it's a great album nonetheless. 4/5