Idlewild

Is "nothing, not even the girl" an option?

Sounds like a boring, white Sade. I felt nothing.

A completely new band to me. I have never heard of them before today and I enjoyed listening through the album. Its cohesive and the songs are mostly the same in style. The singer has a beautiful voice that really carries this album. Solemn music like this is something I would expect to hear on the radio in the evening but not something I will seek out and listen to often myself. Not because its bad but because I don't really know when this would fit in to my everyday life.

Pretty dull somber stuff.

Love it

Some of the songs were ok but overall this pretty much just sucked

Well--I'm glad that's over. 0 keepers in 12 (0%). 4 klunkers (33%). -33

Tole pa pojma nimam kaj je. So far ("These Early Days") je vse kinda si podobno. Pač late 80s inoffensive pop. Ne štekam zakaj rabi bit ta album vključen v 1001 album projekt? Tracey Thorn ma lep, prijeten glas, to je pa kinda to. Nič ne posebej izstopa, tole bo vse immediataly forgotten. Ha, vidim, da je bil album izdan na 29. februar. To zna bit še najzanimivejši del cele te izkušnje.

I'd rather listen to fart noises than this again Best Song: These Early Days Rating: 4/10 Stars: 2

++: Goodbye Sunday, Shadow on a Harvest Moon, Blue Moon Rose +: Love Is Here Where I Live +-: I Don't Want to Talk About It, These Early Days, The Night I Heard Caruso Sing, Tears All Over Town, Lonesome for a Place I Know -: I Always Was Your Girl, Oxford Street, Apron Strings 4,2/10

Good background music, nothing stood out. I will forget I’ve ever listened to this record. 2/5

For some reason this is a sound that brings me comfort. Must be some deep childhood nostalgia. It's a unique feeling, but lacking variation and depth. 2 rats

немного похоже на cranberries. не очень интересно музыкально, но ненапряжно, приятный вокал. когда не знаешь, что послушать, можно смело врубать это и расслабить мозги

Beautiful calming 80s smooth music

Most definitely my favorite album off this list so far that I hadn't already listened to.

A very nice album by this duo with some very listenable songs. Nice style of switching lead vocals from song to song.

This one was very very mid. It’s not unlistenable enough to give it a 2, as it did have some nice instrumentals and her voice is pretty nice, however it is just quite boring. No individual song jumped out at me and they were all very samey. Like I say tho, it was listenable and smooth, just boring.

At first I thought was boring, but when I tried again I enjoyed it to an extend, I was too quick to judge. However I think enjoyment is dependent on mood.

Elevator music

A bit bland. Eaaaasy listening. A lethal weapon of a saxophone.

Irrationally angry from feeling like I've been put on hold for an hour.

We all know that whoever created this list has questionable taste. This has to be among the most boring, hookless, meandering album so far. It's as if he wrote the songs as he sung along. Elevator music would be an improvement because at least there would be some sort of melody. So bad

If I'm unfamiliar with both the artist and the album, sometimes I get it mixed up, which is which. With this one, I found a Scottish band called Idlewild with an album titled "Everything Ever Written." Confusion reigned for a few minutes, then I got it sorted out. Anywho ... Cool vibe on this album. Maybe it's just the recent string of 2s talking, but I'm gonna give a nice, refreshing 4.

I remember hearing this band at some point in the distant past. I thought maybe I would like this. No, I did not. I can't even recall why.

I knew nothing about this band other than the name. This was fine, but not my thing.

I only knew this band from Amplified Heart, which I love. But for some reason I've never listened to the rest of their catalogue. She has a great voice and this has some excellent songs, but a bit too much sax and other cheesy 1980s sounds.

2/5 - I'm gonna put those oversized shades on and get my teeth cleaned now.

This album was already dated when it released in 1988. It was the year when many new musical genres were emerging. However, one song I did like on "Idlewild" was "Apron Strings". The opening of that track sounds quite similar to "All My Life" by the Beatles. I can praise today's album for not being bad for the ears. 2 stars for "Idlewild".

It’s good! Yeah! Pleasant from front to back but probably not something i’d come back to save for a track or two. It’s cool as always to hear the elements of this that would show themselves in future acts (like you can’t tell me there’s no jj or The Japanese House in here) but i think i prefer to listen to those.

More on the "idle" than the "wild" side. I don't think I could answer a single question about this album if you quizzed me about it.

I really tried to fault this album but it’s genuinely so easy to listen to. It’s super long yet not boring at all. I really enjoyed having it in the background as I go about my day. If there were half stars, I’d rate this 4.5/5

A decent low key / low level album

Tämä oli kuulasta ja sopi hyvin kiireettömän viikonlopun aamiaishetkeen taustamusiikiksi. Siksi se jäikin ja ainoastaan muutama biisi sai höristelemään korvia.

Turned into background music for me by the second song.

Красиво, но скучно и

So boring....

pleasant surprise. figured it was a two, but the diversity of the song writing and unique spins on the genre got it here.

The lady has a lovely singing voice. It’s the sort of music I’d love to hear someone play live as background music in a wine bar while trying to impress my date.

It’s good, but I like Walking Wounded much more

This was fine but mostly I'm mad that this has 10x the personality and character than the last two Radiohead albums and everyone seems to be calling those the best albums of all time and this a featureless drone.

When I listen to Sly and the family stone I hear that 1 and 3 beat and I'm like holy fuck that's funk. When I listen to the 1 and 3 audience clap on "Goodbye Sunday" I hear and see a white woman with short hair who is doing a weird shoulder dance and won't stop touching me--convinced she's feeling the music and tasting the rain. A lot of this album is like that. Should you allow yourself to block out the swaying narcissi white women of your psyche there is some quality production here. The bass lines are great and a lot of it sounds like it could be mf doom or Graceland era paul simon samples. Sometimes I go with my girlfriend to Hobby Lobby to buy fabric and this sounds like what they maybe play in the store when they crack a seltzer and let their hair down after a day of quiet work in bright white light. For better or worse and take that as you will, there are things to enjoy here, just probably not in a group setting.

2.5, total snooze but tracey thorn’s voice is pretty

Chill 80s alt. Ok for a few tracks but a full album isn't for me.

I'm confident that there are 1001 albums worth listening to, but I'm not confident that it's a universal 1001 for everyone. Maybe there's a sweet spot in the 500-750 range, but I know that doesn't make for a catchy book title. This album feels like it's comfortably in the "supplementary listen" appendix, outside of that core collection of 500-750. It sounds like Sade and Kenny Loggins got together to make a record of synth-pop and jazz in the late 80s. The whole thing might just be a "we have Sade at home" record, except that we also get "The Night I Heard Caruso Sing", the one inexplicable male vocal piano ballad, in the middle of the record and the duet, "Tears All Over Town".

Basic but Exceptionally pretty.

Not really sure why this is here … doesn’t even have their best song on it.

A pleasant Sunday morning choice. Not outstanding but worth a listen.

Nothing overly wrong here. Pretty voice, simple orchestrations. Just not sure there's anything that actually makes this stand out in any way.

The names have been used so much it must have something special going for it. I just can't work out what that is

Beautiful stuff. I never gave them much of a look back in the day. Knew the single and nothing more. But this is thoughtful and well crafted. I good surprise.

Everything that was wrong with the 80s. This aged terribly

Soft

Too breezy for me

I used to work at a woman's clothing store called Gantos. This is the type of music they would play. It drove me nuts. It's a combo of easy listening and Muzak. I can't believe customers stayed and shopped. My last review for another EBTG album was, "And Entertainment. Everything but the Girl and Entertainment." That holds true here.

Meh

Pleasant, but not extraordinary. If I had to listen to this on its own, the rating would be lower.

Music made for adults. It's quite lovely if you're in a Sade-ish mood.

Boring

Detta var den hittills absolut tråkigaste skivan. Ingen låt fastnade hos mig och jag glömde den så fort jag lyssnat klart.

I liked this! fun 80s

The acoustic EBTG that Walking Wounded's programmed drums couldn't access — Tracey Thorn's voice warm and precise over chamber arrangements that step back and let the songs breathe. The production obstacle that kept that record at three is absent here, which turns out to reveal a different kind of distance rather than none at all. The yacht rock smoothness creates its own ceiling — pleasant, well-crafted, and generating the specific frustration of a record that should connect more than it does. Thorn's voice deserves better material or a different listener, and both things can be true simultaneously. A three, the other records waiting justified.

Great in an elevator… unless you get stuck. Aaaaargh!

Everything But the Girl – Idlewild (1988) I've never heard of this band before. I only recognized the first song, "I Don't Want To Talk About It," purely because it's been oversung at karaoke to the point of exhaustion, and that's pretty much it. Here's the good part: as much as I don't want to admit it, I actually enjoyed it a little bit. It’s got a really nice, relaxing vibe that makes it pleasant to listen to, and I finished the whole thing without having to pray to God to end it ASAP. But now for the bad part. There are simply no standout tracks on this record. The lyrics are about as subpar as it gets, and there are zero real highlights to hang your hat on. I liked the concept behind a few of the songs, but the execution just didn't deliver. I kept waiting for them to take me somewhere interesting, but it never happened. If I walk into a coffee shop or a store and this album is playing, I won't immediately leave—but that's the only circumstance where I'll ever hear this album again.

More super-80s pop. All started merging into itself to be honest. Every track more the same than the last! The 80s really was a terrible decade for popular music judging by what's included in this list

3.5

Honestly i hated this and it might be a 1 for me. Sounds like adult contemporary dental office music to me.

Soft pop. Pretty good. Nice voices.

Сара 2 Марко 2,5

Ever been on hold so long you can't remember who you were calling? -1 for saxophone

Nice album.

Didnt need two Everything But The Girl albums. The best song is a cover. It's elevator/on-hold music. 2/5.

Boring and the vocals arent great its decent

No está mal, pero me ha parecido un poco música de bar. No rescato ninguna canción.

Boring 80s ballad pop. No redeeming features

на любителя, не зацепило.

Wow it’s so boring

lowks wedding music

Pretty good sophistipop but it’s still bland and average 3

Great harmonies, boring songs. Landfill album, not sure how it’s on this list and I’m scared that there’s going to be more of this band.

Really nice voice. The gentler arrangements don't grab me as much as their electronic sound though.

Another boring 80's album.

It was all the same… and got old really fast. Not a 1… but not much better. 2.0

Chill and pretty, but extremely boring. 4/10 Acceptable

I’m all here for this. Give me 80’s and give me calm all day. That’s paradise, my friend.

"I don't want to talk about it" is an amazing song, although it's sad when the best track in an album is the first one. However, this album was able to captivate me with other amazing songs like "I always was your girl" and "Apron strings". I really loved this album, something in it moved me. An easy 5/5

Donnerstag, 29.10.2026 Beim Schreiben meiner Hausarbeit über JP Sartre und den Blick in der Philologischen Bibliothek

Quite bland to be frank, not for me

Awful

This album’s tracks all the same energy level. Very laid back. It risks becoming boring but the quality of the lead female vocal is so very soothing, and blends in with the saxophone so smoothly. I can imagine a warm tropical day lounging on a patio with this on and just feeling like I would be floating. It is very much a background album. When I paid attention too closely it didn’t hold up as well.

Weather channel music with vocals.

This album should be in a list called The 1001 albums to fall asleep to.

Rakkaus biisejä ja balladeja

Smoooooth Jazz, the scourge of every dentist's office

The author definitely loves EBTG, and I have absolutely no problem with that. If I'd written a book of 1001 albums there would be 8 Genesis albums and at least 6 Rush albums on it, so they can put on it whatever they like. As for EBTG, she has a lovely voice but this is really is background music for a sleasy cocktail bar. And I'd much prefer to be listening to it in a cocktail bar, especially if the cocktails were free and I can get slaughtered. It's not awful, but they wrote and recorded better stuff than this collection. 2½

Idlewild is too soft pop musically for my taste. If you like late 1980s production and the typical for their time synth patches, I can see the appeal. The singing is good but I can't feel anything else but disinterest. It's better than Simply Red, at least.

As usual, bunch of people on here review timbre instead of music. These songs are well-crafted, even if the production sounds a bit dated

Good god, I'm bored - hard pass.

Its abundance of cheese and meloncholy I actually found charming. The vocal performances were aces, and that smooth electric piano was a nice little sweet addition. This album is dynamic and weeves parities between japanese city pop, smooth jazz, and 80's pop. Worth a listen, I enjoyed my time spent with this album but it pales in comparison to Walking Wounded.

I don't mind it at all. It's very soft, bland even but there's a place for soft, bland music.

yet another one i've never heard of. i'm being humbled here. accidentally saw the rating on this one up front, which i try to avoid. will try to ignore it i don't... think this is for me i like the instrumental in These Early Days, at least! i have no idea what this instrument i like is. a synth of some kind, i guess? and there's some fun organ there, see, there's something happening here do not like I Always Was Your Girl but at least the saxophone is nice i don't hate The Night I Heard Caruso Sing- this almost works for me- but i don't care for the piano and i started liking it less when she came in on vocals Goodbye Sunday is all right Tears All Over Town has a funky bassline but eegghh i'm at Lonesome for a Place I Know and it's not bad, none of this is bad, but i'm like 'ah, no thank you, please, i simply couldn't eat another bite' somebody should make vaporwave out of this. sorry i'm like half-kidding. but there are some non-vocal things here that i think have potential or that i like, i'm just... not. into the whole package. i thought 'this is music that really boring dads put on to fuck to in the 90s' and that's very mean but uh i'm recording it regardless. there's nothing really wrong with this, and there are elements here i like, but it's just not... quite my taste. mostly i'm vexed because i like a bunch of more modern stuff that feels like it's trying to *evoke* this kind of music or remix it, but i'm struggling to get into this. it feels like a ton of current online niche 'nostalgiacore' music is trying to tap into the sound on this album, so i think it's probably notable on those grounds this album has spurred me into a 'do i only like this if it's being done with a vague hint of irony? am i THAT guy?' crisis. i'm going to have to write a thinkpiece about vaporwave or something because of this album