Hot Shots II

In 2001 I actually saw The Beta Band tour Hot Shots II. You’d think I’d have to be a big fan right? No they opened for Radiohead who was touring Kid A/Amnesiac. In prep I tried to get into Beta Band, if Radiohead liked them they must be good! I tried again yesterday. 0/2 5.2

I can't force myself to be interested in this.

Comparing it to The Three EPs and Heroes to Zeros, this one is much tamer and sparser, but more consistent in its dreamy optimistic melodies and mood. Utilizes some cool spacey electronics that remind me of modern krautrock (e.g. Stereolab) and space rock (e.g. Spiritualized). A largely forgettable experience with no standout tracks, but it's a laid-back style dispersed with some cool tricks.

Not terrible but I little boring for me

Blind album and artist. Its like a DJ got flacid and stopped trying. I wouldn't say its a 1 but god.

Big yawn

Listened Before? N I found this one pretty unremarkable. Not sure what it's doing here. It's not bad - per se- but I feel like maybe the author was struggling to find Scottish bands for representation. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Squares

2 - My partner and I were discussing this album and decided that it sounds like if Jack Johnson was trying to be Beck. It's a really boring album. Like, I would tell people to just go actually listen to Beck. I don't really get why this album is one I gotta listen to before I die, but it did get removed in later versions of the book, so I guess they figured that out too. Also, this band had another album on the list, also removed. Why? Were they really big in England or something? Anyway, I don't see this album doing anything new or inventive. It's just boring.

An album with spacious production and eclectic arrangements that ultimately falls flat due to being highly repetitive.

Going by the cover I was expecting a joke band. Like seriously, why name yourselves the Beta Band? And then name your album after an old Charlie Sheen parody movie. Listening to this I kept swaying between this is insipid and boring, and oh that bit was interesting. Ultimately this is too hipster wannabe for my taste.

Fairly chilled lil album

unremarkable and forgettable

Quite disappointing based on what I had heard previous to this of the band. I find it funny that the review in the 2005 edition of the book says that this album is under appreciated now but in 10 years people will appreciate it more. However it was removed from later editions of the book.

I really like Dry The Rain. I also quite like Hey Jude. This seems to be various versions of Dry The Rain, with varying degrees of success. The album is pleasant enough, but too pleasant for me. This cruised along happily with no rough edges and no seeming deviation from the indie-late-Beatles path. Inoffensive to the point that I zoned out about half way through.

These guys sound like Pink Floyd if Pink Floyd didn’t know how to write catchy songs. I guess that’s all I can say about this album. Choice cut: Human Being

I wish it was the movie

Boring but inoffensive

Boooooring

2, me aburría

idk

Gone is really beautiful. The rest is really forgettable.

A hard one to evaluate. Definitely not something that I felt was an essential pick for the list. Sometimes interesting but sometimes boring in more or less equal measure. At the end of the day I just didn’t enjoy it very much. Best song: Human Being

I feel like this album nosedives a bit on the B side. The A side isn’t that great either. Kind of a weird inclusion.

this is the sort of album where it feels like it should have amazing lyrics to make up for the mid-to-bad quality of everything else. except the lyrics also suck.

"Hot Shots II" by The Beta Band, released in 2001, fails to live up to the promise of their earlier work, offering a collection of songs that feel unfocused and uninspired. While tracks like "Squares" and "Al Sharp" show glimpses of the band's trademark sound, much of the album lacks the experimentation and creativity that made their debut album so compelling. Instead, many tracks meander aimlessly, lacking the catchy hooks or memorable melodies that would make them stand out. The production also feels dated, with some tracks sounding like relics of the early 2000s rather than timeless classics. Overall, "Hot Shots II" feels like a missed opportunity for The Beta Band, failing to capitalize on the potential shown in their earlier work. While there are moments of brilliance on the album, they are few and far between, earning "Hot Shots II" a 2/5 rating for its lack of cohesion and overall underwhelming nature.

Another bog average early 2000s indie/electronica record that I couldn’t wait to get to the end of.

Eh

Basic rock songs fill this album. Theres no real hook to anything. It’s good music and I like the sounds made so that’s a plus but I’m failing to see…hear…what makes this album a necessity to listen to.

Not interested.

I’m irrationally resentful of the gulf between the pedigree of praise the Beta Band receives and how bland I find them.

A good mix of styles presented in a new way. Easy listening.

Squares only good song

Bit tedious. Think the vocalist needs to smile when he sings

Meh

This plays like DJ Shadow Muzak. Chilled out The Books. Radiohead except all beats instead of guitars and vocal aerobatics. It doesn’t live up to the hype of High Fidelity.

Background music. Borink

Ok but forgettable. It was more background music and anything of note.

I didn’t really connect with this album, I found it pretty boring overall. There’s some nice instrumentation and melodies, it has a lush sound it just drags a little.

21/100 Based on this scale: 1 star - 0 to 19 2 stars - 20 to 39 3 stars - 40 to 59 4 stars - 60 to 79 5 stars - 80 to 100 When I loaded up the album, I saw that the first song on the album had far more listens than the other songs. While that's not always indicative of much, I sort of felt like this album was going to blow its load on the first track and the rest would be boring. It turns out that as far as blown loads go, "Squares" wasn't much of one in the first place. "Human Being" wasn't a complete waste of my time, but otherwise...

Boring.

Dit album is het net niet voor mij. Ik kan er goed naar luisteren, maar het is een beetje een bord smaakloze pap. Wanneer track Y aan staat heb je al geen idee meer hoe track X ook alweer ging, terwijl je die 20 seconden geleden nog aan had staan. Veel herhaling, maar niet dat lekker dromerige/hypnotiserende. Het lekkerst vond ik eigenlijk de laatste anderhalve minuut van de track Dragon, alleen had dat stukje een stuk zwaarder aangezet mogen worden en langer mogen duren. Dan heb je een lekker depressief sfeertje te pakken. Laat na een minuut onverwacht nog wat drums die opgenomen zijn in een leeg pakhuis aanzwellen en kom dan nog met een dreigend bassloopje voor een Massive Attack-achtige vibe. Dat had heerlijk kunnen zijn. Maar dat hebben ze dus niet gedaan. Jammer. Ik rond omlaag af naar een 2.

Struggled to enjoy this one.

In a nutshell: Folktronica. Let that word settle in. How does it make you feel? The Beta Band play with trip hop, electronica, experimental rock and a touch of folk to make an album "something completely incredible, that didn't sound like anything else..." You have to give the band credit - they succeeded in their brief. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Overall: 3/10

Wat een slaapverwekkende ellende is dit.

Wel grappig, maar niet helemaal mijn ding

When I saw the cover I was very skeptical. Then the first tune spun and I thought, "OK, this is better than expected." Then, by the second song, I was already losing interest, and by the end I was thinking it was a whole lotta wank. A sound in search of substance.

I'd much rather watch Hot Shots! Part Deux than listen to this.

Maybe I'm still wildly overstimulated from Trout Mask Replica, but this was just... bland. Like if early Beck/Gorillaz didn't know how to actually achieve their sound well.

2/5. Not good and not bad. Plain and boring. That’s it.

So, electronica not my thing, I really don't get it. However, there is definitely some early Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd sounds in there, sadly it doesn't progress into anything memorable.

Bit of a dud for me. A sort of rock album, with some electro elements, but nothing crazy jumped out at me. Apparently acclaimed by Pitchfork too but I really don't see why. Not bad at all, but doesn't seem special or worthy of this list, especially considering it's from 2001. Favorite tracks: Al Sharp, Eclipse. Album art: An explosion in space, plus some cool bling era font that doesn't really make sense for the band or music. But hey, it's pretty cool. 2.5/5

Bruh

Good production, nice sounds, nice vibes, but a little middle-of-the-road.

Mostly boring. This would've been way better if they fired chickens like arrows rather than trying to make music (yeah, that was a stretch. Leave me alone)

Spoken word poetry was not really what I was expecting out of this band, some flashes of fun here and there when they verged on being an earlier incarnation of Django Django but the sheer wordiness and banal lyricism crater any interest I may have had here.

Hello, my name is Cornelius, and I...like The Beta Band now? Or do I just like this album? I've always maintained "Dry The Rain" is an all timer. But that song isn't on this album. And the more I listened for it, the more I began hating this album. Plus it made our dog go crazy, which is never a good sign. I began believing the Beta Band recorded this album just to reach our sweet dog. Well guess what? She's now sleeping comfortably next to me in front of the fireplace on October 14th, the anniversary of The Departure. Also, my name isn't Cornelius. Don't fuck with me, Beta Band!

First listen Saved 3/10 Top track: Squares

Another album where you just wait for it to become interesting, then it’s over

The Beta Band I just cannot get to grips with. Is it the voice that is off putting? They attempt to make a modern retro sound? Is it the arch distance and lack of investment in emotion? Whatever, I find them unappealing and cannot get the buzz about them.

J'ai presque cru au miracle, le premier titre de l'album étant plutôt sympa. Mais non toujours RAS, c'était bien un album de merde.

That first track really swings and I love how it samples the 1969 track of 'Daydream' by the Wallace Collection. If it seems instantly familiar to you, that's why. It took me a little while to hunt that down. Excellent composition. Second track is far less appealing. And so it goes for the rest of this bouncy atmospheric album... It's fairly typical of other works by Beta Band that I have heard previously: pleasant, not exciting.

This is not my style of music. Very challenging to enjoy while listening to this. There were some bright spots here and there but for the most part it was not something I’d want to listen to again.

definitely an album that's just okay. it didn't leave me with strong feelings or thoughts, so that means it was neither outstanding nor terrible. for an album released in 2001, hot shots ii didn't sound particularly new or old. the electronic aspects, for what it's worth, was the kind of electronic that i enjoy since it wasn't overly repetitive and remained different enough to keep my interest. the sample choices, too, seemed unusual. i'm not mad carole king's "it's too late" was sampled!

Strong beta energy. Was a bit enjoyable but not for long

Decent enough indie rock, electrofolk with a little trip hop mixed in. Always remember that scene in High Fidelity when John Cusack’s character says I will now sell copies of 3 EPs by the Beta Band and then proceeds to play Dry the Rain, which is probably their best song and not on this album. This album doesn’t really have any memorable songs. It’s just chill music that you’d probably hear in the background in an independent record shop. I can’t really stand behind something more than a 2 here.

I think there's potential here and some great moments, but just the overall feel of this album I didn't really vibe with to be honest.

I listened to this a couple of times but I still remember almost nothing about it.

It was not good, but not bad. Pretty unremarkable. No need to relisten.

interesting

I became bored rather quickly with this album.

Boring

Standouts: Squares 2.5

Uninspiring

Two sleepy albums in a row! 4/10

Pop tranquilo y sosegado sin grandes estridencias. Grupo totalmente desconocido. No aporta nada.

Good background music at work, but kinda boring. Sounds like a good Ringo Starr album - which isn't a compliment.

Underwhelming, not really a standout album. Some unique instrumental parts, but nothing too interesting. 2/5

Ok, that album art IS a bumhole of fire, isn't it. ahahaha. That's fuckin fantastic. Deserves a prize. I'll even overlook it if it turns out to be from the UK (it will). Sadly though, there's no way it'll live up to that cover. I feel like unless it's super-catchy gay disco a la scissor sisters, it's gonna be a disappointment. Yeah, it didn't maintain the momentum. Boring vague electronica... and UK. What a shame. 2/5.

Better as a kids band

When your claim to fame is a lame joke in a stupid movie

Not even worth commenting on 0.00

It took me three tries to get through this and it is only about 45 minutes long. I am doing this to get a better understanding of music but I just don’t understand why albums like this are on the list.

This is so bad why is it on this list

10 songs where the band try to re-capture the vibe of their breakout "Dry The Rain". They don't manage it. Diet Trip-Hop.

Absolutely forgettable. Nothing stands out about Hot Shots II, guessing Hot Shots I wasn’t any better.

1001 need resuscitation. Seriously, you need help after this and the latest heaps of crap you keep dumping. 🚽 💩 Album wankers

Was that 45 minutes for 45 hours. Whichever, I'll never get it back.

I did like a couple of the early singles, but this album simply does not do it for me Its just seemed quite samey, and a little boring

Shit.

I didnt think music could get more boring and bland than this. No wonder I have never heard of these guys.

An album seemingly begging to open up and embrace its interesting concepts but feels consistently tamed and kept quiet. Wished more from this.

Meh

eh

I can't explain why but I hate them

Not for me. 1/5

I enjoyed their other album on here a decent bit so I’m surprised how much I didn’t like this one. The songs just never came together for me. Rating: 1.2

Did not enjoy this one bit.

I am a Beta Band hater. Both Beta Band albums on the list were removed from later editions of the book. It's like they were only added at the start because they needed some 2000s albums that just came out. And then it was realized they really didn't need to be on the list

This is shit other than 1 song it has no structure.

Not my thing

The first song sounded a bit like a super watered down Flaming Lips. The second song was worse. By the third song I’d lost interest completely.

Milquetoast

What is this, lofi indie Beck? I have heard lofi, I have heard indie, I have heard Beck. I don't need them all in one place.

1. zquarez - 1 2. zharp - 1 3. human - 0 4. gone - 2 5. dragon - 1 6. broke - 2 7. quiet - 1 8. alleged - 2 9. life - 1 10. eclipze - 1

Nice

Background music. Weird album. I will not listen to this again. 😐 Rating: ⭐️

I came across several albums from the list that are enjoyable background music. This one didn't make that cut. 3/10

I don't even know how this style of music is called... I just felt so bored beyond recognition

Forgettable wank

Langatmig, dröge, aufdringlicher Bass - selten so was langweiliges gehört!

This is the worst music I have ever heard!

Is it over yet

Got about half through. Maybe the second half gets beyond meh 😐. Not feeling it.

We already had one album by these mediocrities.

not for me

Maybe it was a bad day to listen to an album like this, but man I was BORED listening to this album. Nah after finally finishing the album, I hated this. The final song was the nail in the coffin of this just being awful. No pizza for you.

This album being on the list pretty much makes the whole list invalid. There is never a reason to listen to this. NO ONE dies with regret over not hearing this album. I'm sure people LIVE with regret that they've heard it. It's like some guys got together in their basement and made a thing ... anyone could do it (and 90% would do it better)

nah

Again?

Langweilig.

Schwimmt schön dahin. Ist leicht anzuhören. Aber definitiv kein Album von 1001.

Was soll das?!

Völlig zurecht kennt das niemand

Yeah, this is very similar to yesterday’s album (Fever Ray) for me. Not offensive but not very interesting either.

yeah no it's boring. i'll wait for The Release Band instead.

Zed

not my cuppa

This album is over 24 years old, and all but one song have less than 1m plays. There is a reason for that.

As every track of the album I will use one word to describe the album : boring. Nothing reluctant to listen but just so boring !

That was a bit of a yawn festival...

Squares

not quite my genre, and too slow

Not for me

Not hot, even after II shots. There are betta bands out there. Pass.

Erm..

1 star. I didn’t get this. It was dull and boring and uninteresting and forgettable. It felt like a chore to get through. It was difficult to determine how sincere the music was and I felt confused why this album received so much acclaim in its time, while not surprised I hadn’t heard of it before now.

Never would be too soon to try and listen to this again

Meaningless, boring nonsense. "Beta Band" is probably a bit of an exaggeration. "Omega Band" is much more appropriate.

This stuff sucks. If I had a company that had a help line, this is the kind of music I would have playing for the people on hold to make them hang up so I wouldn't have to deal with them.

I like the band and this album is fine, but just because an album is likable doesn't necessarily make it worthy of some rando best albums list, does it? I don't see what this album does that's notable that makes it worthy.

I got through about half this album. More generational discord emanating from this list. Not sure what this genre is called, but I dislike it. I don’t understand why this one is in the 1,000 list. Don’t like it, don’t appreciate its contribution to music in general.

no

Really soft and melodious kind of boring and cringy. Didnt like any song

This was way to experimental for me. I couldn't vibe with it at all. Most songs are just so slow and a lot of the background notes physically hurt my ears.

Fuck me sideways. Not one but TWO Beta Band albums. Arbitrary award winner, worst album covers for a band featured more than once on this list. Jesus Christ. Is it better than the other album? Maybe. I don’t remember that one. I don’t really remember this one either. It’s trying to be smug and carefree in a real 2001 way that just doesn’t happen anymore. I just can’t be asked. Parts of it are fine, there are moments of shine but like. There are times when I’ve had diarrhea twice in a month and there were parts that were bearable there. But I’m not gonna give it more than one star. Fuck you.

This was bad.

Not my thing.

What did fucking beta bands sponsor this thing?!

Motorhead only gets one album. Thin Lizzy only gets one album. No Mastodon. No Death Metal. No Black Metal. But there are generic Britpop/Alt bands for days. Fuckin nerds

Snore fest

Why the fuck do these knobs have 2 albums on this list? I feel like this is Robert Dimery's personal playlist moreso than an "essential albums" list, because I definately could have went my life without hearing 1, let alone 2 Beta Band albums. The last thing I need in my life is to listen to more shitty British indie. Classless garbage. Bland and depressing. I'm beginning to realize that the lions share of UK music doesn't translate on this side of the pond. Too bad this list is made up of 85% of this trash. Favourite songs: Squares Least favourite songs: Gone ... I don't know, I lost interest.... 1/5

Urg!

The opening track is memorable, but not amazing or anything, and the rest is just indietronica whateverism. F

Começa bem, clima interessante com uso de elementos eletrônicos e depois soa constantemente como uma derivação fria do Paul McCartney

A while back this would have been a 2. It's inoffensive. It doesn't make me want to turn it off. But then I got to Kollaps. That was an album that was so offensive to the ears that it got a reaction and made me reevaluate how I feel about these bland, generic albums. Kollaps was not a good album, but it at least got a reaction out of me, which is the purpose of art, to speak to someone, whether that be in a good or bad way. Kollaps spoke to me so I gave it a 2. This doesn't say anything to me. This is a 1.

I listen to this in the background and more often than not I felt like turning it off, then turning it up.

The Beta Band fuero una banda poco conocida fuera del circuito alternativo a caballo entre los 90 y 00. Sin embargo sus discos y EPs tiene calidad de sobra para un mayor reconocimiento. Este segundo álbum, no está a la altura del siguiente, su mejor disco, pero tiene canciones exquisitas desde Squares (conocida por usar Daydream) hasta Alleged. 2001 también fué el año del revival garagero con Is this it de los Strokes y White blood cells de los White Stripes como punta de lanza, así como otros discos estupendos: el canto del cisne de Bjork con Vespertine, Things We Lost in the Fire de Low, Rock action de Mogway, el album verde de Weezer, Origin of symmetry de Muse, Morning view de Incubus, Gold de Ryan Adams, The Invisible Band de Travis, Rings Around The World de Super Furry Animals, debuts de Gillian Welch o Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions, It's a Wonderful Life de Sparklehorse.... (otros discos notabes también fueron Love and theft, Hallelujah! de La Buena Vida, Pleased to Meet You de James, Free All Angels de Ash, Souljacker de Eels, Can Our Love... de Tindersticks o el segundo de Manu Chao) y con la electrónica a pleno rendimiento ya fuera por vía experimental (Amnesiac), estética (Discovery de Daft Punk, los debuts de Gorillaz, Röyksopp, Zero 7) o simplemente lúdica (Fever de Kilye, Survivor de las Destiny´s Child...) ese mismo año publican Madredeus el sugerente Movimento y Gotan Project La revancha del tango....

There’s something particularly annoying about how thoroughly mediocre this album was

This is what happens when you listen to white boy critics. Another 0 stars.

It feels late in the game, at album 1060, to be handing out one-star ratings. I had received the other Beta Band album (Heroes to Zeros) earlier and thought it inoffensive and dull. I find this one more of the same, but with a renewed question: why does this band have two records on here? Is it because Radiohead said a positive thing about them at one point (as noted by Wikipedia)? My one-star graveyard seems to be reserved, at the moment, for things I can't imagine being in this book at any point, and I can't think of a better example than the band that brought us the lyrics: "I don't want to be the type of guy / who lives alone, reading books, and never eats a pizza pie". Just really world-changing stuff, lads.

not into it.

Ugh.

Experimental nonsense. That's this album in a nutshell. I could've been fine without hearing this before I die. s

Urhgg sorry not for me

Who a pile of crap

huonoin ensimmäiset 10 sekuntia albumiin ehkä koskaan. sentään vähän parantui meno, kakassa lojuttiin kuitenkin koko ajan... huoh... ei jaksa nousta... siksi kolme pistettä... väsyttäää... jäädään kakkaan...makaamaan... jaksa hyvää musiikkia tehdä heh... porspunk funk ancient breakbeat madness.. alleged

Tykkäävät 60-luvun musiikista; leikkivät 2000-luvun alun elektronisilla taustoilla. Tämä ei putoa: soundissa on jonkinlaista "pompsahtelua", johon liitän Paul McCartneyn hupsun puolen. Viimeinen biisi varmistaa epäonnistumisen. Hirveä kappale.

There's a reason they're not the alpha band or the sigma band

Listened to the entire album and found absolutely nothing I liked. Not a single track I wanted to listen to a second time. A definite 1

Not one point in this albums where I noticed I was listening to music 1

Did not like this at all.

Too dull, too esoteric, not my thing at all.

It’s not for me

I like some of the production but most of the execution is not good.

Boring mushy gibberish

Not for me.

Hot shits

Umm…nope not for me

Who cares dude. This was such an unremarkable album from a band that I've never heard of. I guess there was a bit of a point of interest when the music veered into an electronica version of '60s rock (specifically, parts of Alleged and Eclipse), but neither of those were interesting enough to elevate this beyond a 1 star effort.