Club Classics Vol. One
Soul II Soul
1989
Album Summary
Club Classics Vol. One (USA title: Keep On Movin') is the debut album by the British group Soul II Soul. Released in 1989, the album featured the group's hit singles "Keep on Movin'" and "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)", the latter of which was a UK number-one hit and the fifth best-selling single in the UK that year. The album also reached number one and was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 900,000 copies.In the United States, the album reached the Top 20. The single "Back to Life" was also a Top 10 hit in the US and was certified Platinum. It found stronger success with R&B music listeners in the US, as the album went to No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart, and the title track and "Back to Life" were number-one R&B hit singles.
WikipediaLike the female vocals. When the dude starts singing on the third track I had the urge to skip but held on. The general sound is fairly nostalgic for me. Goes down easy but not my favorite.
so far it's pretty good. I can see this is an influential album. There are several songs I recognized and several beats that I can tell have been sampled by some of my favorite artists years down the line. This is a cool record.
"Club Classics Vol. 1" is the Fruity Pebbles of music. It's technically breakfast but is utterly devoid of nutritional value. It's just bright colors and empty calories. Soul II Soul managed to put out an album that's technically music but utterly devoid of musical value. It's just bright colors and empty lyrics.
Production is very clean and sounds like it could have been produced today. Tends to blend together pleasantly, and the vocals are really beautiful! "Back to Life" was a huge hit for a reason - it's hypnotizing, catchy, and very well produced. Overall early house music isn't much to my taste, but I understand why it was so popular and innovative for its time. 4/5.
I’m a little upset by this album. I have very few 1 star albums, and almost this whole work was so dreadfully boring that I thought I’d finally found another super-dud. But then Back to Life just had to go and be a bop, so this album earns its second star.
Some bloat but a really great album. Jazzie B acting as the master of ceremonies conducting his hip-hop, jazz, soul leaning in whichever way he sees fit.
Seminal dance music album that melded soul and R&B with house and reggae. It's legacy and influence is such that it still sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday.
I have not listened to these guys in ages. Great combo of simple beats and electric vocals. The lyrics are simple and unspectacular, but the solos and harmonies are infectious. Well, at least when the women (Caron, Rose, Do'Reen) are the focal point (less enamored when the men are front and center). Both the band and album are so appropriately named - funky soul and you could fill up a night at a club playing these tracks. Everybody knows Keep on Movin and Back to Life (a definite classic) but spend some time with Feel Free, Fairplay, Happiness or African Dance.
A record that I own, but don't spin nearly as much as I should. Smooth, funky, and beautifully orchestrated. Caron Wheeler's vocals (unsurprisingly on the big singles) are a real stand out. String arrangements are lush and sophisticated. This really is a precursor of Massive Attack a few years later, although perhaps with a little less grit and less depressive/gloomy. I really enjoyed listening to this. If this had been made even two years later, it would have been based on grainy loops rather than drum machines, but this really is an album a few years ahead of its time.
The best part of doing this is dicovering artists from my younger days that I woud never have given a chance then are actually worthy of my time. This is just such an example. Some great, funky soul here along with some seeds of trip hop. I am reminded often of Massive Attack (is the female singer the same as on Safe From Harm or other MA classics?) A really enjoyable listen this album was. I was only familiar with one song but found the whole album quite engaging. 4 stars
Pretty average. The man's voice kept sounding like Monster Mash which threw me
Some good songs, Back to Life and Jazzie's Groove were bangers. Other tracks were filler to me. Rapping with a heavy London accent has always seemed a little off to my American ears; nothing wrong with it, just not what I'm used to. Decent album, but definitely a product of its time and it hasn't aged well in my opinion. 2.5/5.
Pretty much sounded like a typical 80s/90s club album to me. Nothing special.
It's dreadful and I hate it. Without the singles, it's a 1. Some songs sound like sung by drunk uncle, self-congratulatory throughout. Lame beats. Awful lyrics. Bad.
1*. Hated it. Smug, lazy raps, all about themselves. Really weak production. Getting drunk uncles to sing is not a vibe. Bad. 'Back to Life' is a belter though.
этот альбом - очень хороший пример клубной музыки, который в свое время создал немало шума, причем не на пустом месте. минималистичный бит драм-машин заставляет самопроизвольно качать головой, фанковые сэмплы добавляют мелодичности, а вокал, клавиши и бас заканчивают микс изумительным, во многом соуловым грувом, что вместе заставит резвиться в танце даже самого заплесневелого задрота. в итоге мы получаем совершенно нестыдный, культовый и влиятельный хаус презент, треки которого даже спустя 30 лет без презрения окружающих можно ставить и на домашних вечеринках, и в больших клубах.
Production: 13/20 Songwriting: 9/20 Innovation: 11/20 Bangers: 15/20 Emotional response: 15/20 =63 Banging
Nothing remarkable, but overall it was enjoyable to listen to, found myself nodding my head, tapping my foot, and enjoying it in the background. Great vocals and production.
Great rhythms and beats throughout. Nice vocals, some interesting lyrics. Holdin on, keep on movin, happiness, jazzies groove
Very influential, on a wide variety of bands and singers. Must have seemed like it was from the future, cos it doesn't sound dated at all!
A fine definition of British 90s cross over dance music . Enjoyed the nostalgia and positive vibes .
The first great British album of the 1990s. (Yes, I know that it came out in 89. But rave changed everything, innit?)
Un album injustement décrié par la communauté d'idiots que vous formez et dont eltrapeze semble être le chef.
Listened Before? N I believe this could have been one of the greatest albums of the late 80's/early 90's dance wave... had there been more material on it. There's 3 versions of every song it seems. I understand that that's probably what they were going for but it gets old by the 4th rendition of "However do you Want Me". Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: One of the "However do you Want Me's?"
A milestone of an album, including one of the dance anthems of the late 80s. Keep on Moving is brilliant and still sounds great, and there are other good tracks such as Fairplay, Feel Free and Back to Life (the precursor to the later single). Some of the other tracks don't stack up quite so well, particularly those with a spoken Jazzy B accompaniment. Nevertheless, a landmark album.
J’aime bien ça. C’est une autre époque, mais pour la plupart, ça s’écoute encore super bien. Est-ce que ça a été une influence sur certains ? Certainnement. Est-ce que c’est bien fait ? Certainnement. Est-ce que c’était novateur ? difficile à dire.
Great album! Really enjoy this era. Just puts you in a place. Solid 4. T3B 1. Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) 2. Dance 3. Feeling Free
Pleasant surprise seeing as I've never heard of this album before and the only track I knew was Back To Life. Really loved listening to this album
Smoothe jams with a nice retro 80's vibe. Good background soundtrack for your next party.
I was hoping for more tbh, the overall feel is there but doesn't hit the mark I wanted. Loved Ambition though
Soul II Soul is a rather appropriate name for this enticing collection of equally appropriately titled Club Classics. Fusing hip-hop with house, R&B and the soundsystem culture of their homeland, Soul II Soul galvanized those varying genres and came away with songs that, many years later, still defines the core outline of who they were. Favorites: Keep On Movin', Fairplay, Holdin' On, African Dance, Feel Free, Back to Life.
Of its time, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. That cool jazzy dance sound has endured for a reason.
"Back to Life" - forever a classic. "Dance" was my discovered gem, a bop.
The music, rhythm and vibe is what makes this album excellent. Creative and energetic.
House music with a few interesting moments, but not particularly exciting on the whole.
C’est bon, il y beaucoup de diversite et les chansons s’ecoutent bien en travaillant. 3.25
Back to Life es conocida. El resto, bueno, no está mal. Pero un poco rollo. 3.
Enjoyed the beats and bass lines conjured up by this album of soul. There are some misses on here or less enjoyable at least so gets a solid 3* from me.
Kinda fun, but ultimately a wash. I'm guessing the UK club scene in the late 80's/early 90's was a fun time, but it doesn't translate well to home media.
Funky grooves and rhythms. Does what it says in the tin. Some of the uplifting lyrics are pretty awful but happy to forgive this.
Cool grooves, particularly Keep on Movin', I do feel however that something is lost in the move from the 'club' to the living room.
What a great British R&B album! I've never been a huge fan of R&B, so it explains why I haven't heard of this album, but I was pleasantly surprised with the music. Chill-out music that you can still dance to if you want.
Goed album, lekker zomers met natuurlijk back to life als ultimate banger. Denk dat ik er een paar nummers van ga bijhouden maar echt vaak terug luisteren, nee dat niet.
3 wederom niet super hype maar wel leuk om naar te luisteren. veel hetzelfde (omdat ik er niks van ken wss) maar goed voor in de background while (t)werking
68. Desculpa o atraso, Patrícia. Mas a verdade é que não esperava sair tão afetado deste nosso casual encontro. Percebi que sou um escritor sem histórias para contar. Não há nada mais doloroso. Penso se não será melhor apenas encostar-me a um lado e aí ficar, estrada desimpedida. Grâce à toi, comecei a colecionar pessoas. Obrigado, Patrícia. Talvez tenha um novo propósito. Veremos nos próximos dias. MotA: Feeling Free "Don't stop, like the hands of time"
I don't know why this wasn't really my cup of tea. I could understand one or two song on one of my dance mixes, but it sounds a little flat compared to newer EDM. I appreciate the roots of where it was, and where it went, but not my favorite jam.
Love this album. Classic. Haven't heard it in many years...does it hold up? Did not recognize most songs. It was pretty decent though.
The one song you know from this group only shows up in the Deluxe Edition of the album, which is not something I usually pay attention to. Turns out the a capella tracks from that song are just better anyway. Best track: Back to Life
I used to really love this album but having not listened to it for a long time, I actually found it pretty dull. Maybe it hasn't aged well. Or maybe I haven't aged well.
Reminds me of the music played in lobbies of chic hotels trying to be cool. Maybe because this club music IS cool?Good dance beats that get in your head and stay there.
This lovely set of tracks got interrupted 4 different times. I will listen to this again some day when I know I won't get bothered. Mid rating not its fault
6/10. this had some nice beats, but none of the performances were really outstanding and it never really hooked my attention.
-I think we have different definitions of club classics -Very Soul -Does have a groovy beat -I had to scan through the songs because it was too long and didn't have enough time -Will try to give it another listen when I have the chance -I think we have different definitions of club classics -Very Soul -Does have a groovy beat -I had to scan through the songs because I didn't have enough time to listen all the way through -From what I did hear I liked, Feeling Free, Dance, Back To Life -Most songs did have a good beat to dance and groove to