Club Classics Vol. One

Sounds like what I would hear in a hotel lobby

"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.

I thought clubs in the 80s were going to be way more exciting with how much Cocaine they were doing. Apparently I was wrong, they listened to slow elevator music. I guess the only way they could dance to this was with stimulants.

Like 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.

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

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.

FUN FACT: apparently I'm distantly related to the lead singer Jazzie B so that's cool No fucking way my uncle (?) was responsible for making back to life wtf. Im related to a legend The rapping is kind of terrible but i gotta support the family so I LOVE THIS ALBUM JAZZIE B IS THE GOAT RAHHHHHHG

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.

hasn't aged well

This is great. Its a super conditional rating but I am just vibing to the easy loops. There isn't anything too crazy happening in the sample work, just locked in grooves that make your body move.

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.

Transported immediately back to late 80s/early 90s. This is a certified banger for anyone who loves jazz, dance, and Living Single.

Memories of being in the dance clubs come flooding back!

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.

Absolutely incredible. Groovy, funky, endlessly sampleable. Love the interplay between the vocals and breaks, the tension created in "Back to Life" is immense, but fully satisfied by the drums when they come in. I was surprised how album-ey it was despite the title suggesting it was a compilation. The production / mastering is consistent throughout, and the songs flow perfectly into each other (they even avoided those common mp3 tails to preserve the beat). I only wish the additional tracks at the end were included in a separate release. But that would have been a waste back when this was released, and more expensive vs today with streaming. Gonna come back to this one for sure.

This album certainly brought me back to life!

more like "90s dance tutorial background music" classics

Club Classics Vol. One by Soul II Soul (1989) With mindlessly repetitive but appropriately pounding computer-generated beats, directionless melodic lines, far-too-infrequent chord changes, faux orchestral flourishes, shallow cookie cutter lyrics, primitive production gimmicks, and with a male lead vocalist who simply cannot sing, this seemingly random collection of wildly popular British club ‘music’ is suitable only for atmospheric distraction while one’s brain and soul are otherwise occupied with more important matters like scoring, drinking, posing, leering, snorting, checking one’s watch, counting one’s cash, making sure the exits aren’t obstructed, or trying to get the attention of the waitress. 1/5

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.

First off, Nellee Hooper is a cheat code of a producer. Everything I've listened to that he had his hands on sounds absolutely gorgeous. Second off this is the most appropriate album title I've ever seen. Every song is a club classic, the Back to Life into Jazzie's Groove alone makes this 5 stars, and that's probably the weakest part of the album. It's that good

I flirted with club/dance music about a decade after this album's release. I see the appeal of smooth, danceable music for dancing. This is a new album to me and I want to meet this album where it is in time. The first two tracks' heavy snyth, driving beats, and soulful vocals conjure "New Jack Swing" and exist close in time. It wouldn't surprise me if this album was a deep influence or contemporary to that movement. Deeper into the album, the rapping is not good.. at all..even and especially for it's time. It's as if De La Soul was on opioids and couldn't spit anything of value out. The rap tracks really detract from the more soulful ones and bring the album down. It almost sounds like Jermaine Clement of the Flight of the Conchords and like a parody of rap. Then there's the obligatory remixes. Hard pass on this. I tried to meet this where it was and I didn't like that place. (2/5), mainly on the strength of the tracks with actual, decent singing and the instrumentals, even the jazz flute tracks..

Not devoid of charms, but mostly bland. Really shows its age. Could only be from 92-95.

Another album strengthening my argument that this list is way to Anglocentric. That being said, while this album is incredibly dated, it has a certain simple charm as an early 90s dance/r&b hybrid sort of thing. Generally inoffensive and fairly pleasant but it gets old fast.

For me it’s a classic . Jazzy B and his sound system creating my soundtrack to many a late 80’s weekend in London clubs and watching Jazzy’s favourite side Arsenal at the grand old Highbury.

Masterpiece

4.9

Maybe I should recuse myself, since I have many fond memories of my co-judge and I arriving in Toronto in ’89, going to restaurants, clubs, bars and record stores and hearing this all the time. It was the sort of thing I would have never listened to a couple of years earlier. It’s a very urban sound, smoove soul with hints of reggae and African rhythms. Caron Wheeler is dynamite and Jazzy B is a great songwriter and producer, but I’m not as smitten when he grabs the microphone. Between a 4 and a 5 for me.

Getting that vinyl

Jams

Dancyyy

Easiest 5/5 ever ?

Okay I kind of loved this more than I thought I would?! Super fun!

Title says the truth, classics are here

cool

Actually a very approachable album.

Great collection

very groovy and very nice sounding!

Club Classics Vol. One Part dated, part ahead of its time, part still fresh sounding. The rapping/spoken word bits, both lyrically and stylistically fall into the dated camp (Feeling Free, Dance, Jazzie’s Groove), but the excellent mix of house, hip-hop, jazz, disco and soul signposted a lot of great music (MA, Portishead, Tricky etc) that came after, and the two big songs, Keep on Movin’ and Back to Life still sound superb. Alongside those two tracks, Holdin’ On and African Dance with their African influences are great tracks, as is Feel Free with more excellent Chic-esque strings and an excellent, soulful vocal. Happiness is a soulful, dubby track with a nice house piano line and Jazzie’s Groove’s use of samples with a great bassline. I enjoyed this, more than I was expecting. Keep on Movin, Feel Free and Back to Life are excellent and there are some very good album tracks too. And despite some things that do date it, it’s a very good album, edging to a 4. ♣️♣️♣️♣️ Playlist submission: Back to Life

Late 80s R&B is a place I really haven't spent any time; I'll do my best to keep an open mind. Album opens with Keep On Movin', which is R&B on the groovier side of the spectrum. Complete with sterilized electronic drum beat and simple bass line. Instrumental is flourished with some piano meandering and sweeping strings ebbing and flowing behind the vocals. Sounds like something I would hear in a hair salon if I had hair to warrant the experience. Fairplay is a substantially more interesting song. The backing bassline walks throughout, referencing the same progression but modulating to keep things interesting. It along with a tight drum beat propel the track with some soulful vocals. Favorite song so far. Three songs in, three very different sounds. I'm into the variety. Holdin' On is driven by a more classic drum and bass high-hat beat with some disco-like elements. Not a great song, but its not bad either. Feeling Free finds Soul II Soul in hip-hop territory with an instrumental of drums and scratching with backing horns. Surprisingly effective, like proto-ATCQ jazz-rap. African Dance is an instrumental dance track putting the yazz-flute front and center. Great energy with an improv feel. Particularly enjoy the mixing effects thrown in around the 3 minute mark that send the backing rhythm through an inverter of sorts. Dance gives over to the exact same backing rhythm sans flute soloing. In place of the flute we instead find spoken-word vocals. Unsure why they decided to do this. Surely 6 minutes of jazzy instrumental dance were good enough that we did not need 4 additional? Feel Free jams right out of the gate with a sick double-bass drum line and some tight string accompaniment. Song also features a damned fat bassline, which I'm admittedly a sucker for. Second favorite song thus far. Happiness is a fine enough jam that I found myself bobbing along to. I could easily see this embedded in a DJ set to keep the crowd moving in transition. I've only heard the remix of Back To Life. The A Capella arrangement that forms the first 3 minutes of the song are damned impressive on a technical front -- credit where it is due. Hands over to a hip-hop beat that then bleeds seamlessly into the original album closer Jazzie's Groove. And what a groove it is. Stopping my review here because it is where the original album ends. I will say that I am thoroughly surprised by this album. It jams front to back and is filled to the brim with different styles, textures, and personnel. Standouts from my memory are Fairplay, Feel Free, African Dance, and Jazzie's Groove. I also do love the remix of Back To Life that is included in the 10th anniversary edition; classic jam. This is nearing a 5 IMO, but is held back by a few questionable choices. Strong 4 / 5.

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.

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.

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.

Interesting to hear the prototype for Back to Life, which is a grade A banger of a banger in its single form. Rest of album flows along nicely without really making an impact.

Pretty average. The man's voice kept sounding like Monster Mash which threw me

"Little Ham 'n Eggs comin' at ya, hold on people hope ya got your griddles!" Variety: 2 Adequacy: 3 Listenability: 2 Uniqueness: 2 Emotionality: 2 = 2.2 rounded down to a 2 This one had me baffled at first. Had I heard of this before? Is this a compilation? The name of the group I was vaguely aware of, but honestly can say, aside from "Back to Life" I don't recognize any of the titles here. Unfamiliar territory for me, but excited to dive in. THE TRACKS "Keep On Movin'" - Ok. Immediately recognized this one. Remember hearing it waaaaaay back when on the radio ( we're talking elementary school days), but at the time never knew who the artist was. This is some very chill head-nodding material, with great vocal performance. "Fairplay" - Bit more energetic here, but more head nodding goodness. Can't imagine that the beat on this has not been since sampled a bunch since ( checking afterwards at least 21 times, and by luch luminaries as Bel Biv Devoe, Boys II Men and Nate Dogg himself). "Holdin' On" - There's no denyin the groove on this one, but not a fan of the lead vocalist at all. The disco strings and the background singers can't save this one either though. I can imagine the dude getting the lyrics seconds before they hit record and he just did his best to read them. "Feeling Free ( Live Rap)" - This is more like it. Nice change up into some laid back funky hip hop style. Parenthetical on this is believably, and captures a live feel well. Crowd vibes of something like "Got to Give It Up" but way more subdued. "African Dance" - Give me flutes as an accent all day long. Even a solo. But this one had me hovering over skip for the first time in this little project. "Dance" - Nicest thing I can say here is that male vocalist is slightly less irritating, and this is a much more responsible use of the flute. Not sure the spoken word/ talk rap thing has ever really worked for me, and this is no exception. "Feel Free" - The pattern maintains. Just barely. Somewhat of a step back up, but the vibrato style on here is ruining the vibe. Where's the original lady? "Happiness" - Right down the middle drum groove and some vocals that did not distract too much. I want the original lady back. "Back to Life" (Accapella) - There she is! Wait... Ok, so this is not the version I'm familiar with, I still dig it, especially after the beat kicks in and it becomes a roller skate jam for about a minute. Going to call an audible here and sub in the alternate version ( technically still part of the album, at least in it's 10th anniversary incarnation) here, and BOOM. Perfection. Close my eyes and I can almost taste the puff paint and feel the lacerations from the slap bracelets. "Jazzie's Groove" - Perfectly fine closer with minimal vocal interruptions. Looking back maybe more horns would have improved some of the previous tracks as well. HIGHLIGHTS - "Back to Life" ( the hit single version) and to a lesser extent "Keep on Movin'" both are well deserving of a spot on any 90s ( yes I know this was released in '89) era dance playlist. - Nonstop grooves throughout - Very chill atmosphere LOWLIGHTS - Most everything else, though "Fairplay" and "Jazzie's Groove" might be issued a reprieve from the trash heap if I'm feeling generous. FINAL THOUGHTS Can't say I'd ever put this one on and pay complete attention to it, but would not be completely terrible to have on in it the background while doing some mind numbing, repetitive task. Not a knock, as those kinds of albums I value. Just nothing about this really grabs me other than the big hit and the opening track. I can easily imagine how this must have hit way harder in '89. And in the UK maybe it even seemed like a revelation of sorts, but the years have not been kind. As far as smooth, atmospheric, chill R&B-tinged stuff goes, I'd rather might seek out some PM Dawn before I'd ever revisit this. Looked up afterward and verified same vocalist on both those standout tracks - Caron Wheeler. Best thing I can say about this album is that it has inspired me to look up her solo work. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Open with "Keep On Movin'" and then "Back to Life" 9 times in a row

Yep, this is music that could potentially be played at and get you moving if you’re at the club, however, I’m not at the club and if I was I’d probably be a wallflower. Beyond that it is an album that fails to achieve escape velocity from the club for me. One track I knew, the “Back to Life” hit. Less than a handful I would return to, “Keep On Movin’” & “African Dance”. The rest… If this is still on the list come the next edition, I think it’s a fine candidate to update with a newer album.

As someone who doesn’t actively go to clubs (especially when this was relevant in that scene) I can admire and respect the likeness of this genre but couldn’t necessarily get into it. Favourite Song: Ambition(rap) HM: Back to Life

Gosh, this one was pretty monotonous. The vibe isn't bad, and when it works it's pretty catchy ("Keep On Movin'"), but it's like listening to the same song many times over, I felt stuck in a loop. Some variations are particularly bad, like "Holdin' On", in which the male vocals are so stale and bland. "Feeling Free" was pretty good, the beat is nice and the change in vibe was very necessary.

Most of the components are here, but missing choruses and largely rigid dynamics have me hearing through it aside from the singles, one of which wasn’t on the original album in its best form. The vibe - including the title itself - capture the popular moment perfectly, but listening to this next to more exciting contemporaries - including a heck of a lot of city pop - does not flatter it.

As a voracious consumer of compilations at the time, I remember picking this up, scanning the track listing and thinking "there's no classics on here, and they're all by the same group.. oh wait..". I revised my impression today: two half-classics, still a long way off. Arrogant fuckers

This album was disappointing, it starts off with some good potential but quickly devolves into 80s dance cliches. I recommend you replace "Back to Life" with the single version of the song (subtitled "(However Do You Want Me)") as it fits better and is also probably the best song on the album.

ugh, maybe i’m just sick of this list

Hard to give an album a high score when so many of the songs are remixes of each other. Otherwise, not my favorite club hits from the 90s but some of the tracks are classic and full of nostalgia.

Pretty much sounded like a typical 80s/90s club album to me. Nothing special.

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.

Really don't care for this one. I listened to a lot more of it than I usually do for my 1 star albums because I liked the second track. But it looks like that was the only track with that lineup and I really really dislike all the rest. Just not my style at all. The music makes me nervous and annoyed.

Did not know the original of "however do you want me" had no music

Back 2 life

Such a great album....each song different and so danceable.

Dang theres some funky stuff in here! Loved the opening track, then got treated to some old school grooves, felt like i was listening to a sample database, funky hip hop grooves, with lots of soul and attitude. impossible not to dance and bob the head. Holdin' on had a cool feel to it, then african dance was a vibing track, really impressive flute. Same beat into dance, with some cool narration. Feel free! What a banger. STANK FACE from the bass on Happiness Dub. But then ewwwww Back To Life. Banger album all around! 4.5/5

1/7 Really good old school R&B and dance album. Will pick this one up for sure

A great start to a wonderful career

HOLY FIRR BRO I LOVE THIS ALBUM

This was pretty good. Good beat and tempo. It doesn't sound like an album and all the better cause the shit on this list has completely shifted me away from the idea that an album is some type of art piece. It's not. And for that reason this is scoring a 5 . Kiss my ass 1001 albums to Listen to before I die. An album I don't think feels like an album has a better feel to it that the absolute crap you've put on this list.

Great album from 1995, Jazzy B -“ there’s 3 from the North side, and 2 from the East” - Tunes🎶

Really liked this one. Solid all the way through. 5

Loved it. Great for work.

Idk how you can listen to this and not bop your head & dance. I’m convinced all the 1s are rhythmless and lacking joy. But hey music is subjective even if your opinion is complete dog shit!

A classic of its time and still sounds great today. Timeless !

C'est hot !

Soul and excellency of finest form of music, incredible!

Nice, smooth, R&B

9/10 super fun, kinda cheesy, really liked it

Top to bottom a solid genre-busting album that goes far beyond the normal house or dance context and veers solidly into pop music. Really enjoyed this.

I like the confidence of titling this “club classics” because this album certainly delivers on that. It’s all killer and no filler and plain and simply banger after banger. The rapping is excellent, the singing performances are excellent, and so are the lyrics in general, I like what they talk about especially on the track “feeling free”, real stuff. Also I have to mention the production is fantastic as well I can definitely picture this in a club setting. No problems with this album from me at all. Favorite Tracks: Fairplay and Feeling Free (2 Best), Keep On Moving, Back To Life, Feel Free, and Dance.

This sounded like nothing else when it came out as far as I was concerned. Fresh, modern and distinctly London. Still makes me proud to be British and of what multiculturalism really means.

Great. But back to reality now

It seems almost like a parody of the 90s, but I love it!

My Rating: 4.6/5 Silky Grooves of Self-Worth This is grown-folk music for people with taste, but also mild baggage and great shoes. Put this on and you are 30% cooler instantly.

Really enjoyed listening.

What a classic album with some 90’s bangers! Always enjoy me some Soul II Soul, and this album features “Back To Life”, which was an essential track to our generation growing up. Wild how low the rating for this album is on the challenge site, but then again some of the folks rating this low have Bob Dylan as their favorite artists. So I can tell those folks find Ketchup to be the height of spicy.

Original, groovy, serious, English - a lot of my favourite things - captures the late 80's to mid 90s era well, crystillises the US hip hop and soul influence with a bit of UK urban dance that acts as a backdrop to this broadly quite dim country. Deserves a 5 star, hits each spot perfectly

baaack to life, baack to RIALITIIIIII

Love this album

Some remarkably great bits and some remarkably dull bits - the singles great, and overall enjoyed the energy it was giving, but dance music maybe you have to be in the right space

Amazing

soul 2 soul 2 my ears 2 my head 2 my feet de ganzi tag soul 2 soul und denn namal chli meh absolute mood, super inegstartet und immer meh entdeckt vom album bi jedem relisten – Back to Live into Jazzie's Groove mitere smoothe erklärig was soul 2 soul isch, was willmer meh und das ganze wird abgrundet mitemem Keep on Movin' Bonustrack wos grad ih verschideni playlists gschafft hett! sehr glücklich hani da mals ganze album chöne lose ih de reihefolg da wäri also ganz truurig gsi hetti das verpasst, zum glück hani hüt chli ih de schuel umeghange und scho am morge mit de meiste lüt im study room eh yap-session gha da segi nume: vijf punten voor de ziel

Yes, I'd liek to listen thjis a lot more. butnif its too slow for you, ...skip to track #9 - "back to life, back to reality" a track to a put a smile on everyones face, make you dance, and evoke youthful euphoria - clubland circa 1992 I think.. Ah, a joy to be reminded. ... classy stylish sound.

Seminal R&B album.

Back to life

Thoroughly enjoyed. A good find. Some heard before, some worth discovering. 4 stars plus bonus 1 for rediscovery credits.

Loved this.

This appearance of this one excited me. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I thought that I would, but it was a great feel of college times for me. So, it gets credit for that.

A solid late 80s hip-hop groove. Loved it.

Aka Keep on Movin here in the colonies. I wore this thing out during college. Haven’t listened to it in many years, until now, and it is still a near perfect album.

Absolute classic

Absolutely outstanding 11/10. Every song was so unique and incredible to listen to.

Balancing out the one because they had one really sick song

Groovy