Idlewild

I don't mean to sound cranky, but if we're concerned that this list might be a little heavy on the WASP entries, we can probably start the cutting here. Why in the world is this on the list? This sounds like something that would be playing in the candle section at a cider mill gift shop.

Everything But The Tunes.

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The “wild” is silent.

This was, without a doubt, the worst album on here so far. I'd rather listen to the Smiths.

I cannot put into words how much I hate this album. Muzak-like synths, awful violin parts, and lyrics dripping in cheese make this the worst examples of 80s indulgences

Not what I was expecting at all. Boring middle of the road ballads - no thanks!

Impatiently Waiting For Your Mom to Finish Shopping at Boscov’s in 1989: The Soundtrack.

Not great. Every song is pretty much the same boring track.

Proof that looks can be deceiving - Ben Watt (the male half of Everything But the Girl) on the cover of this record with a pompadour and clutching flowers looks like a Great Value Morrissey, so I figured these two would sound like a poor man’s version of the Smiths, but Wikipedia classified them as “Sophisti-pop”. Pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this album, Tracey Thorn has an absolutely beautiful singing voice, and the additional musicians all felt complementary to the compositions rather than getting in their way. Definitely interested to explore more of this duo and the genre.

The background music that background music puts on.

No idea why I had to listen to this album before I die. Not annoying but nothing special either.

I couldn't get through it. I have no idea why this would be included in this list. It was very boring and unsurprising to me.

Some nice background music but all kind of blended into one

This was a poppy, chilled out refresher after two albums I didn't get on with. Not my normal cup of tea, but Tracey Thorne's voice is unique and even over the sometimes sketchy drum machines it somehow works magic. There is a wonderful sense of space in the production that lets the songs breath.

Smooth jazzzzzzz blows and so does this album. Homegirl has a great voice, but I feel like it's 1987, I'm stuck at a yacht club dinner and the most exiting thing are the clams.

All blurred into 1 boring song

Honestly pretty boring lol This is what I’d expect to hear in a small clothing store targeted to women above 50

I had a HARD time getting through this album. I have heard at least one song from Everything But the Girl - one of their singles from the 90s. I'm feeling less generous these days. It's harder to say that something is "okay". The tracks on Idlewild were uniform, and had too much of an "easy listening" style, getting into muzak territory. I don't know why this album is on the list. The sound was very late 80s. I would be very surprised if they were not playing an electronic keyboard trying to sound like a piano. Plus there was saxophone. I was bored.

I've never gone beyond Miss You (my regret) so was overjoyed to see this come up. And I loved Tracey Thorn's (unexpected) vocals & the songwriting of fellow #BarnetFC fan Ben Watt. I wish i'd listened to it 25 years ago, will revisit many times

Kinda bland and forgettable though I love their voices. Forgive me.

incredibly boring. would not listen again.

What is this? Soul? R&B? Pop? - Whatever it is, I like it. I only knew Everything But The Girld by name before, so this album is quite a discovery for me. It's a very laid back affair, the arrangements are top notch and not too rooted in the 80s. The singer has a great voice, and the songs are very good too. What's not to like? 4.5/5

Beautifully melancholic album

EBTG is one of the most talent and moving bands of our times. Tracey Thorn's voice is unbeatable, and the lyrics and music on this album are some of the best ever done by EBTG. It works for nearly every mood: if you're up, it can generate energy, and if you're relaxed it can smooth you out. 4/5

Came here to write my scathing review, read the first few top reviews here, and realized I had nothing more to add. This album is the musical equivalent of La Croix sparkling water.

I'm beginning to wonder who chose these albums to listen to before you die. I didn't expect to like every album but hoped to at least get an idea of why people liked different genres or thought particular artists were the best thing in the world. There are some albums that have done this to me but then there are albums like this. I didn't listen to this back in the day and I can't imagine I would ever listen to this album by choice again. It isn't bad (unlike some albums by my favourite artists) but it is just so dull.

This is like a cup of tea that somehow reads your mind. It’s soft, slow, and peacefully delivered. Tracey Thorn’s low alto feels like she's letting you in on a beautifully sad secret. She reminds me of Natalie Merchant in that grounded, soul-settling way. It still blows my mind that this same duo gave us the 90s club staple “Missing.” This is quite the opposite; it makes me wish I were a cat in a patch of sun, half-asleep, waiting patiently for someone to pet me. And honestly? That’s kind of the dream.

Mom can we stop for Sade? "We have Sade at home" *the Sade at home*:

Kinda cheesy, but also authentic. I don't mind it.

Nothing too exceptional here. Not a bad listen, but not sure why this is on the list.

Chill folk vibes, good vocals and instrumentals. Nothing really stood out, but pleasant to listen to. 3

Tracey Thorns voice kills and production is nice. It's quite a pleasant listen overall but one probably needs to be in the relaxed horizontal position to maximize enjoyment of this record.

First half is OK but a bit boring and unoriginal. I don't want to talk about it is the only song I would characterise as "good". By the second half every song just seems to blend together and drag on. Don't really understand why this is a "must listen before you die".

Earnest to a fault. Like, definitely too earnest for me, urghhhhhh... also so very late 80s/early 90s sounding. Her voice is clearly the star of this show, but it's just generically good to me, not my thing at all. It's competent, but I couldn't get through it.

Nope. I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never did. There were points where I thought something was going to happen, but it didn’t. I bet these two get that a lot.

It's so forgettable that I keep forgetting I'm listening to it. It's like being trapped in Walgreens or some off brand department store.

Hey! You got Idlewild in my Muzak. No! You got Muzak in my Idlewild. Seriously this is like being 10 again standing in the JCPenny basement staring at bra tag ladies while my mom argues with the 3rd representative in a row as to why she can't have her fur out of storage unless she pays off her credit debt. RIP MA!

God I hate this band

awful. I'd rather see dave lee travis play macbeth.

Solid album. I think I've heard a few of their songs but never a full album. This is exactly the type of thing I'm looking for in this list. I don't need 1001 albums I've heard already, I need 1001 albums that will expand my already massive obsession with music. This album does that. 5 stars from me.

I don't even know what this is. How many albums are on this list again?! Will I like it? Let's judge an album by its cover. We have a very aged looking photograph of a man and a woman and the man has a suit on and a boutonnier - classic prom shoot. But they look like they may be a gay couple (she has short hair - could just be the 80's; and he is maybe a bit ambiguous - I'm not judging, just guessing). The title is Everything But The Girl, which could either mean he has everything but he laments losing her or he wants everything but the girl. Let's listen and read some Wikipedia and Genius Lyrics and find out! Well I was wrong, the title isn't Everything But The Girl... That's the band name. The album name is Idlewild, which evokes images of being wild within the confines of your home. I imagined the man singing but now I think maybe the woman will sing based on some of the song titles. So, they're married and forgive me about the assumptions I made earlier. Do I know any of these songs? Well this is 80's prom music so I guess I was sort of right. Woof. I'm not sure I like this. It's like it made way for some Jewel or Pink or Natalie Imbruglia in the 90s. OK but as a guy whose wife is pregnant with twin girls, These Early Days got me. The harpsichord crap is terrible though. Oh but she ruined it by using a boy's name at the end. Damnit Jimmy. There were other songs that I kind of weirdly enjoyed. I kept saying this isn't for me. This is a lounge act. This isn't good. But then I started liking songs and I said fuck it. There's something here, but I'm not sure what it is. Fuck it. 5 stars. I was going to go with 3 stars, but no. 5 stars. Don't tell anyone.

This album was so good, I enjoyed every single song. My favourites were Goodbye Sunday and Blue Moon Rose.

... this is an odd album. Not "creatively odd" jut... hard to peg. It as not annoying, or grating, but really "safe". Weird. Will not listen again, but cannot damn it. Would really prefer 2.5.... however I feel magnanimous

Honestly, vibes

Twas just chill. Some cool songs. Definitely a moody kind of album to have play while your cooking dinner or romancing a person of the same sex.

Je vais profiter de la tribune que m'offre l'espace dédié à la critique de cet album finalement pas très intéressant pour vous partager un fait musical marquant de ma journée. Vous savez probablement que mon album préféré de ces dernières années n'est autre que Process de l'artiste Sampha. Alors que je pensais tout connaître de sa substance, la vignette d'une vidéo YouTube affichant la pochette de celui-ci interpella ma rétine. Le nom de la chanson en question m'était inconnu. Je cliquai donc sur celle-ci, puis écoutai cette douce mélopée. Quel moment exceptionnel… D'où pouvait bien provenir ce miracle ? Croyez-le ou non, ce morceau ainsi qu'un autre étaient tout simplement deux morceaux bonus de la version japonaise de l'album. La morale de cette histoire est la suivante : ne pensez jamais connaître quelque chose tant que vous ne l'avez pas vue dans sa version japonaise.

3 songs in and I'm really not feeling this. There's a certain nostalgia in that it reminds me a lot of the pop music I heard on the radio growing up. But while it is familiar, I never really looked back with much interest on those sounds. This singer, like many others of the late-80s/early-90s has an unmistakable Kermit the Frog inflection on their voice. Unsure why that was so popular... Otherwise, the music here is pretty inoffensive, but often quite boring IMO. Not much to hate. Not much to love. I'm going with a 2 because I feel completely unmoved.

This was like easy listening pop; strained saxophone-laden baby-making music for people that are so white that they're slightly translucent. This album was so non-confrontational that it killed my ability to write a scathing review about it's blandness. This was melba toast covered in unsalted butter, and then sat on my plate until it was soggy. That's how meh this album is.

Felt like I was on hold with an insurance company to find out why removing a brain tumor the size of an orange isn’t a covered benefit. Her voice is nice though.

If this is one of the best 1001 albums ever made then there must have only been 1001 albums ever made.

The 80s called and Michael Bolton wants his saxophone back. Seriously, though... this album has not held up well over time. It's everything that you remember the 80s to be, without the charming nostalgia. - Heard before? Only "Apron Strings" - Will I listen again? Not a chance. - Does it inspire me to listen to more of this artist? I hear they turned into something very different as their career progressed, so I guess that's positive, but it's still going to take a lot to scrub this album from my memory.

Boring, lame, 80s production. Bleh. Definitely did not need to listen to this before I died.

Idlewild is the kind of album that disappears while it is still playing. Not in a subtle or atmospheric way, but in the sense that every track melts into the next until the whole thing becomes one long, beige smear of polite, middle-of-the-road songwriting. It is not adventurous, not emotionally gripping, and not even particularly comforting. It just exists, hovering in that awkward space where nothing is offensive enough to react to and nothing is good enough to remember. The biggest problem is how utterly interchangeable the songs are. Tempos barely shift, melodies drift by without hooks, and arrangements feel stuck in a narrow band of tasteful dullness. Even when a track hints at something slightly different, it immediately retreats back into the same safe, muted groove. It is like listening to the same song repeatedly, except that song is not very good to begin with. There is no tension, no payoff, no sense that anything is at stake musically or emotionally. What makes Idlewild particularly frustrating is that it feels content with its own blandness. There is no edge, no risk, no moment where it threatens to wake itself up. It is background music that demands to be listened to but gives you nothing in return. By the time it ends, it leaves behind no mood, no image, no lingering feeling, just the vague irritation of time spent on something completely forgettable. One out of five feels generous, but at least it acknowledges that silence exists, and in comparison, silence might have been the better choice.

I debated on ranking this a 1 or a 2. I looked at my one rankings. It's not that bad. I looked at my 2 rankings. It's not that good. It's a solid 1.5. It slides towards being a 1 because it's completely and utterly forgettable. I wish I could understand the cultural significance as to why this ended up on the list, because I don't see it. But Tracey's voice is really nice. It would be great background music if you were at some stuffy cocktail party where you didn't really like anybody there but had to go for work. Is it a bland, inoffensive 1 or a just not my style 2? By the time I hit Lonesome for a Place I Know I was looking for how much time I had left. But really, the sax solo at the end of Tears All Over Town was probably the nail in the coffin. It's a 1.

I almost made it 100 albums without having to give a one star rating, but then here comes Idlewild guns blazing. Or rather guns doing nothing at all. Just no guns.

I really didn’t like it At I missing something? No sense of artist voice/identity and every song sounded the same

these guys again - and on top of that worse than the last time

really nice, mellow record. Big fan of EBTG.

I’ve always appreciated Everything But The Girl, especially their work in the ’90s electronic scene, but this is my first time hearing Idlewild. I really enjoyed it. It’s got that cozy sophisti-pop vibe with a nice jazzy edge, and the bass provides a smooth, mellow groove. The production lives up to the sophisti-pop standard, refined, clean, and polished.

Reading the band name, I imagined one of the typical edgy indie rock or post-punk bands that litter this list. That's certainly not what we got though. This is definitely a pop album, but it's a dreamy, mystical, ephemeral and enchanting sort of pop. It also has it's share of musical variation. For instance The Night I Heard Caruso Sing sounds like The Cure went chamber pop. This album definitely focuses more on a sense of poetry - both in terms of music and lyrics - than on producing the next big hit of the season. But that does also comes with a cost. None of the tracks on Idlewild have much staying power after an initial listen. This could very well change with multiple listens of tracks like Lonesome For A Place I Know. But at least on one listen, nothing stands out as being particularly catchy or memorizable. Not sure if I'll revisit this one or not. But it was interesting and beautiful and I enjoyed it a lot more than the majority of albums on this list. 4.5 rounded up.

Definitely your typical 80's soft pop album. Pretty good overall. I don't think it's the greatest album in the world, but it's pretty solid.

I remember a time in my teenage years. It was late at night. I stayed up to watch "120 Minutes" on MTV. The show was a weekly ritual and a source of life for me and my friends. We would convene at school and talk about the videos we saw; what we liked from that week's show. I liked nearly everything I saw except for a few occasions when I heard or saw something absolutely repellent. These bitter discoveries were rarer and therefore more eventful than finding a new favorite band. Favorites changed weekly. The most hated issued listening challenges that couldn't be solved in a night, and required total exile to deal with the discomfort. Watching "120 Minutes", the first time I encountered Everything But The Girl, I jumped to declare them to be unequivocally the worst band I had ever heard: "absolute worthless garbage." I swear I'm better now. The opportunity to revisit them yesterday was so, so welcome. I had basically forgotten my hate of the band by name. There's a dogma of good music and critically acclaimed and indie darling and names that pop up over and over again in music histories. To be good, you say you like them and recognize their symbolic worth to the music websites and independent record stores that we go to to talk about music and hear others talk about it. I guess Everything But The Girl became an acceptable name to me at some point, and I forgot my visceral young hatred of music that I said was "so soft it doesn't deserve to exist." Given a handful of decades distanced from my teenage dictates, I now gladly and fully welcome Everything But the Girl as the crowned Anti-christ of all things heavy.

very pretty: the vocals, the melodies, the synths. my style

Wow, there's a lot of hate for this one. I remember "Missing" being released as a teen who thought he was in love and used the line "like the deserts miss the rain" in a postcard I sent back whilst on holiday. She laughed at me, but I digress, that song isn't on this album. Neither are the other two I know, "Wrong" and "Tracey In The Room". Amazing that I've actually heard their spectacular cover of Crazy Horse's "I Don't Want to Talk About It" and even "Goodbye Sunday". I didn't love EVERY song, but there were a lot of decent tracks on this album. Some jazzy, some poppy, some just easy listening. I remember reviewing another album of theirs, "Walking Wounded", which I gave a 4 and this one is better. I like Tracey's voice, maybe not so much Ben's. I can't go above 4 though.

This was a weird one for sure. Not that the contents are weird, but it is definitely from a subgenre of pop that I have almost no experience with. That being said, with no frame of reference, these songs sounded really good. The arrangements were very minimal, but still sounding very full and making the album sound very complete. Quality group of songs from front to back, although not really my genre and so not something I would ever find myself returning to.

This one convinced me a lot more than the other album of theirs on here. Not sure why and not willing to investigate.

Interesting album from a band and genre that I had never heard before. Sophisti-pop? Anyway, really smooth chord progressions and love the 80's love ballads. Singers voice really pleasant with unique jazz-pop sound. Favorite Tracks: Love is Here Where I Live, Oxford Street, Lonesome for a Place I Know

Late 80's ballads, subtle instruments, and smooth vocals. Great easy listening.

Soothing sound. Gave me good vibes.

Surprisingly enjoyable album to have in the background

Pleasant but the songs aren't strong enough really to deserve Tracey Thorn's lovely voice - the best one on here by far is a cover. Sounds a bit like later Aztec Camera in parts, sophisticated but inessential [EDIT - two great Danny Whitten songs in one week! "Crazy Horse" itself is pretty good]

Very 80s-sounding adult contemporary. Not bad, but didn't totally grab me.

listening to this made me feel like Gwenyth Paltrow in sliding doors and that’s something

I liked this. I enjoyed the lyrics

Fun little album

Nice, accessible, flattering, harmonious.

Strong 3

A very enjoyable album - trots along with some good tunes

Dreamy, romantic, and nostalgic. I had never heard Everything But The Girl prior to this, but wow! I have a soft spot for sophisti-pop.

Easy to listen to.

3.5

fun listen. she has a great voice.

light pop music that's easy to listen to. this is a band that's trying to find their way when it comes to the musical world, and their discography, including this album is a good example of that. with songs of family, heartbreak and nostalgia, the vocal and lyrical content are pretty good. the production value makes it seem like a lounge or muzak album, and not necessarily the good kind; it has a "fake" sound that maybe sophisti-pop tracks had at the time, especially with the drum machine usage. it's probably the kind of music you'd hear in the waiting room at a dentist. if you like sappy and somber ballads you miiiight enjoy this album? it's got potential, but it mostly falls flat for me.

Beautiful, smooth pop. A lot of songs are jazzy, a few have touches of folk. It’s almost in Sade territory — the music has that same sort of good cheesiness and slick production. Vocals sounded great and I liked the lyrics. Soothing music.

Like if the 80s had a fart

Discussing this with a friend, a misunderstanding led me to ask if Tracey Thorn was “the Vera Lynn of COVID-19”. No, but someone might be amused. Am I missing something? The tunes seem half-baked, wine bar music with better-than-average lyrics and vocals, the latter not applying when Andy Serkis sings. The image of David Jason falling through a bar played on repeat as I listened to this.

It is boring and hookless.

Pleasant singing, but totally uninteresting musically. Songs blended together. Nothing I would ever come back to.

Really, really odd choice, Robert. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this one. The music, itself, is pleasant enough, though a touch boring and backgroundy. The lyrics are the main attraction here, and unfortunately, I found it kinda hard to connect with the sad nostalgia they're trying to evoke. I think maybe it's because they often feel too weirdly specific and personal? I dunno. If I'd have been given this album earlier in this challenge, I'd have probably failed it for not feeling at all important enough to be on a list of essential listening material. However, as a somewhat seasoned veteran who's sat through WAY more horrendous things throughout this experience, I now have the perspective I need to more fairly rank this amongst its peers.

Eh… it is what it is. It’s one of those generally pleasant albums your parents would play back in the day. You didn’t like it, but it was inoffensive enough to not cause upset. A bit boring. Parts of it do sound very 80’s, with those soft backing keys and drum loops. There’s some bass in there that’s threatening to make a mark but doesn’t quite do so. There’s some nice piano and strings. A bit of awkward sax. This might be the least exciting album I’ve ever heard. It has barely any edges or texture to it. 2.5 rounded down.

Yeah, this isn't great. They really evolved from 1988 to 1996. If you take the vocals off this it's straight up a 90s weather channel music bed.

Pretty boring and uninteresting. Not necessarily bad, but not really that good. 2/5 Won't listen again

Another album that baffles me as to how it got an entry on this list. It’s not a horrible singer songwriter album, but it’s just not very interesting overall. I figured it would be up my alley, but it never really got going and just kind of sounded the same for the most part. As the album went on, it slowly morphed in to background music that couldn’t hold my attention

Basic light pop music, I get a retro country feel on some of the tracks. Enjoyed the singing. Feels like music you would hear in a hotel lobby or department store.

I might have to just start skipping these albums only British people have heard of. I wish I had been warned about how skewed this list would be.

Way too stuck in its own time.

Middle of the road lounge tunes

Bland bland bland oh GOD why is it so BLAND?

No. Sorry. The 80s is sometimes much maligned, but this bland twee synth nonsense is fully deserving of the hate. 100% the soundtrack to lots of posh Chelsea Girls with big hair and excessive makeup swaying whilst drinnking their cocktails and arsehole traders in suits talking about how much money they earned that day.