Idlewild

Very disappointed to learn this wasn't actually an obscure Idlewild album called Everything But The Girl. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I thought it might be Cocteau-esque, but it was just...quite boring. Speaking of, I do hope that the Twins are on here.

I think if I listened to this in isolation it would be a 3. However it feels like we've had loads of shitty middle of the road British indie lately so I am not feeling in anyway generous. Take your two and fuck off.

Too slow and mellow for my tastes

Oh man, this is really, really, *really* good... At invoking narcolepsy. I almost nodded off, nearly dropping my breakfast of milque toast, which is WAY more savory and daring than the music contained herein.

I thought this was quite generic, uninspiring folk/pop. Talented musicians for sure, but I don't care for it. I don't mind their hit song Missing, but nothing on this album reached that level.

war okay, nix besonderes

this is losing the mid off because its slightly worse than mid. genuinely so so boring and bland

Какая стремная девушка ;;(

Too slow for me to really enjoy, and the likability dropped off significantly after the first track. 2.4 stars

Bit boring ngl

Its a lovely sound, but gets a bit lounge music-y and sort of runs out of ideas

Thoroughly meh 2.5

Comes across as overly sentimental.

Not sure why this is on the list tbh. I found it neither groudbreaking, important or interesting. Soz but nah

Wasnt offensive to my ears. But meh, very soft pop ballards.

boring ass music

Nothing stood out, but it wasnt bad, just ok. I like me some 80s sounding sad pop

Very 80s sound. I like the singers voice. 2 stars. Probably don’t need to listen to this again.

An ok, easy listening album

Aww no, EBTG. I kinda remember them being indie darlings and listening to this I really don’t get why. Bland and boring. If we are talking sophistipop you cannot beat The Blue Nile. They seem like nice people though

I do like EBTG but after the first two albums and Walking Wounded it's individual tracks rather than albums. This is one of those albums from the late 80s that feels like everyone is under pressure from the record company to come up with hits...so there's a cover. 2.3.

Un poco insípido... pero buen saax

More Brit bias from this list. Nothing special.

Not sure if this needs to be here. Thorn has a great voice, but the arrangements are bland and it lacks the emotional backbone of their later work.

I was there for it at the start and excited about what was to come. Unfortunately, nothing particularly interesting followed, and by the end I was just waiting for it to finish so I could move on to something else.

I had never heard of this group and now I've got two of their albums in back-to-back days. I enjoyed the other much more than this one. This one was just unoffensive 80's soft-pop. "These Early Days" was a fun track though.

Good for background noise and not much more. The hit song doesn't save the rest.

This album is fine, but is what I assume they play in the background of episodes of Gilmore Girls. Nothing objectionable but also completely forgettable.

Ok but a bit wishy washy for me.

This album sounds like an 80’s album and not in the good way and I know it came out in 88. Most songs could be played at the end of any sappy 80’s flick. Doesn’t hold up to the test of time.

"Idlewild" is an album by British musical duo Everything but the Girl. Considered "Sophisti-pop," this album sounds like a serene, ambient music, like what might be heard in a hipster coffeeshop. Calling this album [insert adjective] pop is a misnomer because its not pop or popular in any sense of the word. The whole album blandly blends together and amounts to very little in terms of notability.

Yeah… no… this is not for me. It’s not that they are bad at what they do, but to me, this is very uninteresting.

When I saw Roxy Music was an influence I lost hope. Better though.

One good single does not an album make.

The equivalent of the plain lettuce salad with lukewarm water, but one of the best you've ever had.

Aside from the vocals, it sounds like pretty much all the instruments are played on a Casio keyboard. I’m sure that’s not the case, but everything is synthesized to the point where it sounds amateurish. Using a drum machine for percussion isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the way it sounds here is basic and at the same time seems to be mastered oddly where it’s louder than other pieces which should maybe be more prominent. I haven’t enjoyed much by Everything but the Girl, but this might be my least favorite.

Just a half notch above AI generated 80s synthetic pop. Comes close to a list soundscape on occasion. Droning monotone vovals kills it

The first song was nice, but everything afterwards increasingly grated on me and felt like a pale shade of the first track. The lead singer obviously has a nice voice, but the instrumentation is so dated and bland and the overall sound of every song got increasingly repetitive. It felt like music that would be playing in a department store while I waited for my mom to finish buying a pair of shoes.

this was just boring mall muzak, what the heck? i only wrote down two vital notes as i was listening: - oxford street has water level music - the night i heard caruso sing was like a billy joel b-side with moxy fruvous vocals favorites: i don't want to talk about it (me in this review lmao), the night i heard caruso sing

Not a lot to be interested about here. Songs are generally bland and there are no real good tracks to even it out. No need to listen again.

Very unclear why this must be listened to before one’s demise. Some will enjoy it nevertheless. But for me it does not invite another, closer listen.

This thing is a rough listen, despite its clean production and great vocalists, as the whole thing is impeccably fake sounding. The instrumentation varies from smooth jazz lounge guitar playing to drum machines that would make the biggest pop stars from the time look away in fear, and the singing, while technically impressive, is a dime a dozen, and does nothing to stand above contemporaries. Perhaps it is to be celebrated for its safe textures in an era of unknowing, as if there is one thing this album is sure of, it's itself, but the whole thing is sleep inducing, and that can get aggravating even forty minutes later. An interesting juxtaposition to the music they would go on to make, but certainly not something to enjoy, as there are far smoother albums from the era in the same general genre as this one that go down far better.

Sleepy-time music

Not for me. Not sure why this is here. Blah

Good 80’s band. Good sound.

2 I wouldn’t say it’s bad just super lame and cheesy

nunca se sale del plato. Todo esta bien pero m falta algo, demasiado soso. tipica tia q hace lo q se espera de ella y lo hace todo bien, no hay ningun fallo. Bien pero aburrido

Not really a fan. This was putting me to sleep. No interest.

Boring-ass snoozefest of an album. Sounds like a bad performance at a lounge. Hasn't aged well. I like her voice and the song "Apron Strings", but that's about it. 2/5.

It’s chill and mood setting. But there’s not much to it. Good for ambiance at a winery not so much for everyday listening.

Only had the time to listen once. The first song was really nice, so I was looking forward to the rest, but the rest was not nearly as good. Boring songs with nothing special going for them. There are albums I've rated lower that I think are more entitled to a spot on this list due to their unqueness. Nothing unique here, just skimmed milk.

mostly a snooze for me. i prefered the beth orton record from a couple days ago.

Pretty bland and forgettable. I can see why people like this but it's definitely not me. Not 1 star bad but I won't be coming back to this again

Before pivoting to downtempo in the '90s, Everything But The Girl was a cute little indie pop outfit that did tenderness better than most. The problem is that it's '80s sheen makes it sound so boring and flat, it occasionally sounds like telephone hold music. While pleasant, Idlewild lacks a certain X factor that makes it stand out. Otherwise it's a fairly middling album.

This gives "doctors waiting room".

An album full of slow, tender pop ballads is not my thing. If it were, k.d. lang is better at it. She has a nice voice though. The guy was fine too I guess. The music was just dull to me though.

Idlewild is the fourth album by British musical duo Everything but the Girl. This pop album features acoustic instruments, synths, and drum machines, as the duo wanted to both try some modern sounds and stick with the classic recording process. Released to critical acclaim, this album has been certified gold in the UK and remains a fan favorite of the duo. I thought Idlewind was a relaxing pop album that would make a great soundtrack for a chilled-out event.

The good- Thorn’s pleasing vocals. Otherwise, a surprisingly bland affair from a band I had assumed had a bit more oomph. It is very hard to see who is the audience for this. Todd Terry saved their career.

I tried twice to get into this, no success. Too slow and samey.

Lyrically, it's smart and clever, but musically it's pretty dull. Hard to believe what they'd become later from this!

Just another way over represented UK album with no reason to be on this list.

I'm not caring for the country vibe of this album. Now it's gone to jazzy... which I also don't care for.

What in the “easy listening” adult contemporary boring schlock is this?

I knew nothing about this album but I'd been looking forward to it, based on my incorrect assumptions about what it would sound like. Wikipedia calls this "sophisti-pop," but I would call it adult contemporary. Blegh. Tracey Thorn has a lovely voice but this type of music is a slog for me to get through.

Huh, only had their other album from the book the other day. First song - Oh right, this is by them!? I don't really like it particularly but it's a good song. As far as 'middle of the road ballads' go. I can imagine my mum liking it. Oh it's a cover. Ah yeah I think I've heard the arod Stewart version plenty, as well as this one. Not sure about the original Crazy Horse though. I always thought they had some indie type past, not this schlocky stuff. By track 3 I am going to need a fairly abrupt left turn to stay interested. Ok I can tell that's not going to happen. Trying hard not to be dismissive, and I'm sure there's some nice lyrical content here but I'm getting far too much doctor's waiting room vibes. Far too easy listening, with twee production to boot. Sounds like The Sundays but not as good. Just not for me.

I love her voice, his not so much. The music is mediocre at best, and the lyrics suffer from the overall package.

Nothing special

- Joa, was soll ich sagen, hat mich überhaupt nicht abgeholt - Dachte sehr oft „was sind das alles für schmalzige Schmunzetten?!“ - also insgesamt nicht meins, und ich musste mich irgendwann echt bisschen durchquälen, wobei ich sagen muss, dass mir grundsätzlich so eine Popmusik immer noch besser gefällt als vieles, was heute die Charts bestimmt, weil man durchaus merkt, dass da zwei richtige Musiker dahinterstecken - anders wären die durchaus in teilen „jazzigen“ instrumentals so sicher nicht möglich gewesen - Außerdem ist die Entstehung des Bandnamens irgendwie witzig Rating: gut gemeinte 1,5-1,75/5

- Bis auf Oxford Street und These Early Days ist dieses Album absolut rücksichtslos an mir vorbeigerauscht. Wie wenn man auf einer langen Autofahrt Radio hört, sich aber nebenbei noch etwas unterhält und sich irgendwann fragt: Was haben wir sie letzten 30 Minuten eigentlich gehört. - Hab nochmal durchgeskippt und es ist für mich leider zum größten Teil belanglose und reizlose popmusik - 1,75/5

Hat mich nicht abgeholt. Sehr schnulzig. Aber auch schon schlimmeres gehört.

It's ok. The songs where the man sang were usually pretty bad. Will I listen to again: 0%

It's not awful music, and I kind of like the vocals, but it's just a forgettable album overall. Had it playing while doing some work and at no point did it grab my attention. Didn't need to hear this one.

Un album tellement unidimensionnel, tellement monotone, tellement inoffensif. Les mélodies sont peu recherchées, trop simple et souvent sonne comme de la musique d'ambiance qu'on aurait dans une boutique quétaine. Il n'y a vraiment rien qui fait en sorte que j'avais à écouter cet album avant de mourir. Ce n'est pas la pire chose que j'ai entendu, mais j'oublie les chansons au fur et à mesure qu'elles jouent. 3/10

This is just a collection of background songs fitted for the cheesiest scenes of Dawson’s Creek

I have maybe heard of this band? I'm chugging through a lot of 80s albums in a row. Maybe the generator is trying to get a bunch of them out of the way for me. Tracey Thorn has a beautiful voice. The opening track is a lovely; she sounds great, and the guitar sounds warm and sweet. I am wary of an album that opens with a cover. Some of the 80s production dates these songs for the worse. "Love Is Here Where I Live" has that piddling drum machine sound that takes the polish off the heavy piano and layered vocals. If you took the vocals off a lot of these songs, it would sound like waiting room music. I spent a lot of this album waiting for the next song to see if that one would stick. Anyways, I've heard Tracey Thorn has a good solo career. I'll go check some of that out. Highlights: I Don't Want to Talk About It, The Night I Heard Caruso Sing, Shadow on a Harvest Moon, Apron Strings

Didn't leave much of an impression sadly! No single song stood out much to me, and it's not the kind of thing I think I'd revisit

Found it boring. Nice voice though

I mean it was decent but all the songs sounded the same. Sounded like ABBA and Fleetwood Mac but worse. Sax was pretty cool in some of the songs though.

So. Boring. Dollar Store Annie Lennox just doesn’t do it for me.

She has a beautiful voice, but I didn't enjoy most of the songs. Too slow for me. I liked the upbeat song 'Blue Moon Rose' 2/5

Lidt ostet 80’er pop

Not for me.

Why?

Not terrible, but I slept through most of it.

Dinner party music 2/5

almost hilariously generic ez listening 80s medium ballads with royalty free music accompaniment. The sound of browsing for Hallmark cards for Mother's day under bright florescent K-mart lights. That all being said, I didn't totally hate listening to this. I guess this is the Western version of Japanese Citypop 2.5/5

She has a nice voice but the 80s ballads and drum machine vibes are just hard to get through.

Kinda sounds like something my mom would've listened to, but it's also kinda boring. Didn't feel very groundbreaking or new

Forventa nåke anna. Falt ikkje i smak diverre

Listened Before? N This was pretty meh. Very slow and soft. I wasn't a big fan. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: I Don't Want to Talk About It

Sophisti-pop classic. Makes me think of sitting in my orthodontist's waiting room as a teenager. Not the best association.

It’s not that interesting to me, sorry.

Good voice, but all in all pretty lame.

Forgettable. Did not seem particularly interesting

AJ: The Cure with a lady singer. Honestly listened to 30 seconds.

2 stars. not my thing

So cheesy, loved falling asleep to it

Rod Stewart cover song my dad knew gets an extra star

2.5/5 - It's cute at times. Thats about it. She has a pretty voice and he comes up with some cool sounds here and there. Talented musicians, not my type of music.

I don’t hate it, I don’t like it either. The instrumentals are pleasant but the writing sounds like someone who has never struggled for anything in their life trying to sound deep and profound when really they’re really just describing problems only upper-middle class white people in the 80s had the time or money to think about.

bit dreary, some nice music but don't like the vocals

Not very exciting music

Funky songs, not my type

When I was a kid in the late 80’s I remember being on an elevator and it seemed like the ride was taking forever. I’m pretty sure this was the album was playing over the speaker. That’s the review.

Stinky

Its like if Smooth FM was an album. I love her voice and i can appreciate the songwriting, but its pretty boring for the most part. Didnt despise listening to it but

This is like a meal made from great produce only to be undercooked and seasoned with air and false hopes. The songs are like attending a high school dance. Everyone pretends to be rather unique and interesting. But just below the surface everyone is either the same amount of pretentious, boring or insecure - or a combination. Also, did I mention the horrible lyrics?

Pure 80s pop. Not my thing, but if that’s what you’re looking for, this’ll get ya done just fine.

I dunno man. Lovely voice, some charming lyrics. Still sounds boring MoR to me 😥

Cheesy, indulgent, and honestly just kinda boring.

Not my cup of tea at all. Could not wait for it to be over. Very basic instrumentation and country singing, reminds me of Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Pop lànguid i hipnòtic amb una veu i arranjaments de qualitat i una molt bona versió de 'I Don't Want to Talk (About It)'

Tracey Thorn has a gorgeous voice. The cover of I Don’t Want To… is lovely The rest is utterly insipid though

This was aural wall paper

The album cover, where the band look washed-out and dull, says it all.

Not my thing. Just not a fan of the style or the writing.

It's mostly forgettable 80s pop, really. It's not, like, terrible, but not especially interesting either.

This was the equivalent of the music in a dentist’s office.

Sounds nice, although it's a bit sappy and dated.

Snozefest

Mediocre tunes, mediocre voice, mediocre lyrics. Doesn't even include their best song.

poppy...very poppy, but interesting

Kind of boring

Meh

80s pop but the kind I find a little boring, the show 'Keeping Up Appearances' comes to mind listening to this

Didn't give it too much of a chance admittedly. Felt uninspiring

Rien d’interessant. Très pop monotone. 4/10

Very mellow/easy listening... Literally what I think my mum would have listened to in the 80s

Tried, but couldn't do it. Just bad pop music. Cliche Hammond organ and drum machine.

Made it through a couple of songs, but this managed to be both melodramatic and boring at the same time. Production was decent.

The Definition of easy listening, nice but that's about it

Very 80s. Michael Jackson's 'The Girl is Mine' vibes throughout the entire album. It was ok. A little too downtempo and unmemorable for me. Fave tracks: I don't Want to Talk About It, Oxford Street

I found this album to be pretty unremarkable. Very strong 80s sound with lots of drum machines, soft vocals and plucky guitars. Fav Tracks: The Night I Heard Caruso Sing, Apron Strings

I'm sure there's over 1000 more essential albums than this. This is the musical equivalent of color by numbers. Everything by the book. The result is not really bad, but it's not exciting in any way. Favorite song: blue moon rose

Not certain why this was in any way considered a "1001 album". It's not *bad*, but it is bland, somewhat repetitive, and fairly trite. It's well put together, but it's just not particularly noteworthy.

So so boring 2/5

Vapid, bland, offensively shite music.

2/12, 17%

Really like their jazzy 1st album, Tracey's solo album Distant Shore and the two songs they did with Massive Attack. Her voice one of the most beautiful in pop music. But this album really too sweet and boring for me. Have to give 2 stars

Sophisti-pop = probably played on shitty retail store speakers or in the lobby of a medical office?

I assume that this album plays on repeat in suburban British dentist offices, and I will continue to assume that until I am definitely proven otherwise.

The good: Tracey Thorne has a nice voice. The bad: Elevator Music. Zzzzz. Didn't need to hear this. The only track I really liked was the first one, the Crazy Horse cover "I Don't Want to Talk About It." It had a real nice vibe. The rest was boring adult contemporary music/cheesy 80s pop. Next.

It's okay. Didn't hate it, in fact it's kinda pleasant to listen to in the background, but there is absolutely nothing that stands out, no place for this in the best albums ever.

Easy listening background music. Nice vocals and piano, sax but maybe if it was arranged differently it could have been memorable story telling.

There is a reason why people do not make music like this anymore.

Not enjoyable to me

Not for me

Väldigt, väldigt, väldigt tråkigt

Ich habe mich gelangweilt durch 5 Songs durchgeskippt und dann abgebrochen. Niemand muss auch nur eine Platte von Everything But The Girl gehört haben. Bitte gerne nie wieder.

Muziek voor zachtjes op de achtergrond in een hotel bar vol hitsige heren in pak, op zoek naar een avontuurtje tijdens hun zakenreisje.

Dit is wel heeeeeeeeel traaaaaaaaag en best wel saaaaaaaai.

I don't have to do this

No thanks, this is not my thing. "Sophisti-pop" might be a tough sell for me.

Not an interesting record musically or lyrically, all songs blend together and sound the same, honestly. It's very middle-of-the-road pop music which isn't my cup of tea.

It was good for a listen I liked the re-issue better, with the Danny Whitten song ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ included better

Eh it was just there. It wasn't awful. A 2 is generous

mech, porosty, wodorosty

Aggressively boring

I liked the first song but ultimately it just sounds like cheesy 80s crap. Even though it's not my least favourite album so far, it is probably the album I think "why is this on this list?" The most. The majority of the good reviews seem to be "ah I remember listening to this when I was young" non seem to explain to me why it's important or not just cheesy crap

Echt geen klap aan dit. Allemaal langzaam, allemaal hetzelfde, maar ook niet bijzonder mooi of rakend ofzo. Het is niet vreselijk, maar het heeft ook gewoon helemaal niks, dus ik twijfel hard tussen 1 en 2 sterren. Laten we het maar het voordeel van de twijfel geven dan.

I feel like I missed something. It just seemed like easy listening soft rock crap

I love Tracey Thorn's voice but I very much dislike the smooth jazz vibe. Her voice is the only reason this is getting two stars instead of 1.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… …I apologise for the copious zeds, but holy moly 1001 list this is some boring shite. British 1001 bias albumified right here. There is no planet, no time, no universe in which this is interesting.

What a difference from their later work! This album was a major disappointment and it's hard to imagine that it was ever popular. It sounds like elevator music. By far, the highlight is Tracey Thorn's beautiful voice.

Just quite dull. Can't really believe they made a whole album of these songs and who thinks it merits listening to before I die?

It hit all of my expectations, which are low.

It was ok

Was not expecting soft jazz

Dentist office background music. I don't hate it, but I also don't like it.

I thought the cover of I Don't Want to Talk About It was the best song on the album. Everything sounded near exactly the same, I barely noticed where one track stopped and the next started. Saying that, it was inoffensive easy background listening.

I'd pretty much written this off before I listened to it.... It was better than I expected but still not really my thing at all. Most of it I didn't really like but she has a great voice and I quite liked the stripped back songs. Can't see myself going back to it but I thought "these early days" and "apron strings" were the best tracks.... Likely because I have small children and they've made me soft!

70s band that helped give rise to so-called "soft-rock".

I'm not the target audience for this one. I get what it's trying to do, but it's just boring whining to my ears. I'm sorry bootleg Poly Styrene and bootleg Morrissey, may you live a happy life together.

I listened to this - thought it was boring and shit. Trying to remember an interesting observation but I simply couldn't think of one.

Far too "easy listening" for me

Yawn. Lyrics felt a lot like Tracy Chapman but with a less interesting voice. I briefly got excited by a song until I realized that the album had ended and it was actually a style council song, a much better band.

Kind of the beginning of the end of them for me.

Couldn’t finish it. Nothing bad per say but I got tired of it

This isn't in my original copy of the book which means someone thought that the original 1,001 albums you need to listen to before you die was incomplete without this album. How many flights of stairs do you need to fall down to elicit the brain damage requisite to think that the original list could only be improved by this album? This is probably the most insulting example of the books author(s) cramming their Brit-Pop of the 80s and 90s down our throats when even the Wikipedia entry for this album cites "Three songs were released as singles but failed to make a big impact." What about this album is a must-listen? I can think many reasons to never listen to this album again. 2/5.

smooth jazz - thought they were electronica.....

Not for me

No word of a lie, this album sounded like one long continuous song. I literally could not distinguish one track from the next. Make a cohesive album, sure. But give it some goddamn variety for chrissake.

A few good songs but not a huge fan of this music

Fine, but all the songs just blended togther

This does nothing for me. Gentle, almost soporific. I don't find the tunes particularly memorable. Playing is tasteful. The drum machines give me the irrits; this needed either a good drummer or use of sampled loops (as they did on subsequent albums) to give it a bit more swing. I do own a copy of this record, but I note that I have put on consignment for sale at Scratches Records, Newtown (head on down! say hi to Lorenz for me!). I know that I listened to it before I sent it out for sale, but cannot remember a thing about it. Listening to it today re-affirms my decision. Inessential for me.

Seems unfair to give this 2 stars because it’s ‘not my thing’. It doesn’t really stand out from a thousand other talented female leads. Lyrics are intelligent but the music is just filler.

Not much to this album that was memorable. The music was meh ok. They halve decent voices but nothing exciting comes from this album.

This is boring 80s love ballads.

Totally ok

More bland lounge music. These guys would be nothing without Todd Terry.

Just not for me

No thank you

Not terrible, kind of like early bill Joel and Irish dido teamed up with the power of drum machines and synthesizers. Nu wave at its middlest.

boring, empty, repetitive

Just not the same energy I have today. Descent but nothing special.

This is very boring. I wonder if they tried to make it sound like that, cause they did a great job.

Lots of love songs but nice arpeggio melodic guitars

Really chill 90sish smooth pop. I'm not a huge fan of this genre of music. It's like half acoustic with drum machines. Just can't get into this one.

Chill album nothing special

I found this pretty boring. Had a hard time getting through the album.

A little elevator musicy. Not my fave

I like their 90’s stuff so was expecting more from this but this is quite boring 80’s music

Nice little pop album, but not for me.

Just kind of boring

This was just boring. Nothing more than muzak. 2/5.

Sometimes I thought "hmm this is nice chill background" and other times I thought "fucking hell this is naff" and I think the latter outweighed the former

Yaaaaaaaaaaawn

This is okay. I mean, it's really simple and pretty - but I don't necessarily like it. Still, I appreciate it.

Ok pop album. The female singing is pretty good and has a good voice. The songs are all pretty slow and relaxed. Nothing really too bad. Just not for me. 3.7/10

Imo, it was great but not overly-amazing. But I love that jazzy arrangements on the record. Tears All Over Town, Shadow on a Harvest Moon, Goodbye Sunday, I Always Was Your Girl, I Don't Want to Talk About It are my personal favourites from the album.

2.6 - Please God, anything but Everything But The Girl.

The Rod Stewart cover is nice, the rest pretty ordinary. I know it wasn’t ordinary back then, but what can one do, time renders us all old & ordinary

I was hoping this album would be a little bit more influenced by trip-hop, based on their song "Missing". It's a lot more jazz, lounge influenced. It's pleasant, and Tracey Thorn has a really nice voice, but it ended up being more background than anything. Favorite tracks: "Goodbye Sunday", "Lonesome For a Place I Know"

2-5

Bought this back in the day. I had to, I needed the cash and had to break a record voucher so i found this in a bargain bucket. I resented it ever since and gave the tape away. 1 song album for me. It is non contentious easy-going music that doesn't grab me musically or emotionally in any way. Not a patch on a contemporaneous album and genre such as Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout. Cover art: 2/5

kinda boring the lead female singer has a weird nasal thing that you hear every once in a while like Cher but more subtle

The production is so incredibly dated that it makes it hard to listen to. It's smooth and artificial and any good songwriting gets lots is the late 80s synth haze

Should’ve taken the girl as well

No need for this with walking wounded already representing

The music is not for me. I personally would like it slightly more without the singing as a chill background. This type of music is not for me

I mean it was decent but all the songs sounded the same Sounded like ABBA and Fleetwood Mac but worse Sax was pretty cool in some of the songs though

Uhhh my mind is mush, this all sounds the same, not bad though

I like their version of I Don't Want to Talk About It, the rest of the album is nice, but nothing else stood out on first listen.

This is ok but not for me.

Inoffensive and nothing special. Better than the hip hop bollox to date so need the half stars to distinguish. I can’t give this 3 despite giving some of the hip hop 2

trash

Lots of the songs sounded similar

It's pleasant, but sterile and overproduced. When I see a British band in the late '80s, I expect a bit of economic panic and some anger as well. This album seems exists in a world where Thatcher was never PM. It takes no risks whatsoever and sounds like an adult contemporary radio station. I can hear glimpses of the post-punk ethos in the vocal delivery, but the backing music washes it out and sanitizes it. A notable exception is 'The Night I heard Caruso Sing'

Very Average. Only listened to a few songs

Not memorable in the slightest. Like a less good Joni Mitchell.

3

nope

I liked the other album that was recommended much better, at last after the 2.5 songs I listened too.

Wasn't a big fan of this Album. Started off good but sound got a bit old and the literal lyrics bugged me a bit. Album also too long did not get to the end

Awful

The editors of this book after listening to the blandest 80s British pop album: "Wow everyone really needs to hear this before they die" Favorite Track - These Early Days Least Favorite Track - The Night I Heard Caruso Sing ⭐️

this was boring, why its on this list is beyond me.

I could not get into any of this.

album #72 why on earth is this on the list lmfao. utterly pointless. ꩜ favourite track(s): none ꩜ least favourite track(s): all lol ꩜ album rating: ★☆☆☆☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 1,017 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 35 ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 14 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 58

1.4 I wasnt really expecting this to be a shitty smooth jazz album, but thats exactly what it is.

Slickly sickly. Pretty bland from start to finish.

This was an absolutely terrible album. Nothing about it stood out and I question it's existence on this list.

Longest 45 minutes of my life. I want them back please. It was like I was stuck on hold.

Boring slow 80s synthy nothing.

Oh jee, wederom Everything But The Girl. Ik trek haar stem slecht. En dan komt er bovendien een lading standaard 80s geluid voorbij. Met name die doorsnee drumbeat is gewoon storend. Verder zijn de synths van het niveau likmevestje, tenenkrommend gewoon. Later gingen ze een soort triphop maken, maar door haar stem was dat ook al niet aan mij besteed. Deze standaard jaren 80 vind ik dus al helemaal niets toevoegen aan een lijst met albums die je ooit gehoord zou moeten hebben. Het album stevent in eerste instantie af op een 1. Niet omdat ik zuur of boos ben, al werkt de zangeres me op mijn zenuwen. Maar simpelweg omdat het totaal overbodig is en werkelijk waar niets toevoegt. Later wordt het iets minder slecht, ik hoor af en toe een harmonie. Helaas blijven de matige drumbeatjes en de gedateerde synths. Het doet me ergens denken aan de trage nummers van beroepszeurkous Morrissey. Ik wil er een 2 van maken, al heb ik wel een paar nummers door moeten skippen. En dat is het equivalent van een 1. Dus ik heb weinig keus. Sorry Roel, ik geef de schuld aan de zangeres.

Gepflegte Langeweile. Aber eben Langeweile! Langwei …. . Schnarch!

Sad it was not that girl

Kattengejank

Walking Wounded had some cool beats, but this has absolutely nothing going for it.

Bordel.

I guess even adult contemporary has to have its landmark albums. However, when an entire genre is devoted to being as unobtrusive as possible isn't that antithetical to landmarkosity? Anyway, I don't know why I had to listen to this, but I did, and now I will forget it.

This needed to be one the list of albums to listen to before you die because you'll want to die after listening to it, completing the cycle the list intended on

Jesus… just strip out the vocals and it feels like I’m watching the weather channel

Oh no no no, wimpy soft rock at it's worst

"Mr. President, a second Everything But The Girl album has been included" 😭😭😭

I've tried listening to this album 3-4 times now, and each time it just leaves absolutely no impression on me. The synths are just so vague and boring. Feels like everything is just a Casio keyboard playing it's built in song demos.

"Good news! Today we're going to be listening to a duo from the 80s. There's synths!" Aww hell yeah! Are they mysterious? And British? Do they have a cool sounding name? Is there a drum machine?" "You know it!" Sweet. It's gonna be a good Friday! "Just one other thing..." What? "They suck" Huh? "They really suck. Just like, wall to wall sucky, boring music." ....oh. "Yeah." And who are you? "Me? I'm an entity you created. For the purpose of this review." Just for this? That's sort of sad. That means you'll cease to exist when this review is done? "That's right. Everything I am. All my hopes and dreams. Gone." What did you hope and dream? Besides telling me in a mildly amusing way that "Idlewild" by Everything But The Girl sucks? "I...well..." What? "It's dumb but...I always wanted to see Spain." See Spain?!? But you don't even have eyes! You're not even...corporeal! "Don't you think I know that? DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT!?" I'm sorry. "Yeah, well. It's sensitive." Well. This is it. "Yeah. It's been nice knowing you." You too. Hey...do you have a name? "..." Hello? Hello?

todo el álbum estuve esperando algo que nunca llegó. el peor tipo de tortura

Seemingly one long, painful song with pretentious lyrics.

Garden centre music. Gets a 2 instead of a 1 just because it's so inoffensive that it's impossible to feel anything about this album at all. Changed my mind, it’s a 1.

ufff

Huh?

A collection of boring, insipid songs sung by female Morrisey. 1.2

Yawn. Couldn't wait for this to finish. The sort of music Alan Partridge would like.

Not into experimental, weird music

I forced myself to listen to this to the end. Sounds like an 1980s soap opera soundtrack.

This album proves that this is a UK over indexed list and really doesn’t belong here. It’s unmemorable despite the lead singer having a nice voice. Just meh across the board with the worst of the 80’s instrumentation to accompany it.

Gentle sophisti-pop and slow jazz-inflected pop built on soft piano, restrained percussion, mellow guitar, and intimate, whispery vocals drifts along with minimal variation. Listening feels like sitting in a quiet café where the music barely shifts, leaving the surroundings more noticeable than the songs themselves. The melodies are pleasant at first stay ultimately slow and uninspired, and the lyrical content is simplistic.

Woof, this album was rough to get through. Just boring old school sounding mom pop. Just soft and boring. Sure, the vocals are very pleasant and well done, but that can only get you so far. I feel bad giving this 1 star but it was honestly torture to get through this album. Vocals were nice but that can't save how utterly boring this was. Idlewild was just not for me.

This is not the Everything But The Girl I was expecting. In fact, maybe nothing could have been further from what I was expecting based on the one song I know than this. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I think I like it better than an album of Missing clones. I bet Lisa Stansfield loves these guys. Michael McDonald too. Maybe I spoke too soon though. This sucks. It's getting much worse. This is easy listening garbage. This feels like a joke. This is the softest music I have ever heard and I changed my mind, I'd take 100 Missing dance remixes over the songs on this album.

It appealing to my ears

And there was us thinking Taylor Swift was really dull the other day. This is next level. Fair play.

Wow, this was cheesy and lame! And I’m typically more forgiving of cheese. This maybe doesn’t quite deserve one star but I’ve been itching to give one for a while and I know I’ll never come back to this one. So here!

The bland, unseasoned, overcooked chicken breast of music

I thought the low ratings were exaggerating.

Not my tempo

nothing special. strange pop

Shitty easy listening 80s pop

This album was more boring than I expected it to be…too many slow grooves that go nowhere.

Just so incredibly boring. What did really stand out on this album? I honestly don't know. This one will be forgotten very fast. 1/5

When I first saw the album cover I thought, cool this sounds like some alternative band I've never heard of. Boy, was I wrong My first DNF. I made it through the first 7.5 songs and felt it was safe to stop as I probably would've died of shock if any of the last 4 tracks were any different from the first 8. I really don't understand why this album is on this list. The lyrics are corny, the instrumentals are horribly overproduced pop of the 80s. I legit had to look up this group to make sure it wasn't a group that spoofed cheesy 80s romantic songs There aren't any redeemable qualities to this album. As each song went on, I longed for this album to be over. I questioned how anyone could willingly listen to this and enjoy it. I can honestly say I could've gone the rest of my life without listening to this album and nothing would've changed

Disappointingly forgettable. Interesting to know where the first song came from as I heard it a lot as a kid. Only needed one listen of this to know I wouldnt listen again

sooo 80's /neg

too much whiny keyboard

No

Milktoast 1

this after the Smiths? No wonder i left for two months and only just resumed

1.5 - Bad

Slow, maybe pop is the best way to describe it, but I couldn't stand it. It gave me glimpses of stuff that would come later that I actually enjoy from people who I imagine built off this sound, but I didn't need to hear this stepping stone

So lame

I really hated this. It was like if you married British folk music with 80s synthesizers. Just not for me.

New Wave has to be top 5 most oversaturated genres. The Brits just COULDN'T get enough. I'd yawn, but I fear opening my mouth would be enough of a prompt to barf after this.

I was excited to see an album from the 80s on my list today, but only got through track 5 before I called it quits.

First record on this list that I truly consider bad. It’s always a matter of taste, but this one was so unabashedly boring that it’s honestly a miracle to make it through the whole thing without falling asleep.

This album absolutely lived up to its cover.

It’s ok

Perfect name. Perfect music - for The Blue Oyster Bar.

Woof. I'd been wondering what it'd take for me to give an album a "1 star". Here it is. This was physically painful to listen to. The most generic elevator kind of pop. Sounds like the drums are some cheap Casio midi percussion. Moments where a song might start come together are killed by the cheap sounding instrumentation. Maybe "Blue Moon Rose" is the least offensive track, but I've definitely found a new band I don't like.

From what little I know about Everything But the Girl, it seems like they were one of the last Sophisti-pop holdouts. I think as they aged, they got closer to a Sade sound. As for this earlier album, it's a miss on many fronts. I don't know why it's included on this list. All of the songs feel like karaoke ballads (derogatory).

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this much, but I wasn't expecting to dislike it quite this much. I remember their cover of I Don't Wanna Talk About It which was fine but dull I had to go and look at what the drum machine he used cost back in 1988, and it was £999. It sounds so bad and cheap now. It's all over everything and just turns boring background music into something much worse. Just use drums. It sounds like a bad double act in an old folks home that no-one is listening to. Final track, Apron Strings ditches the drum machine and it's such a relief. Doesn't get it an extra star though. I hated this.