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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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
-"Keep on Movin'" is quite catchy -"African Dance" has a great beat and someone is jamming on some wind instrument -"Feel Free" has some chunky bass stuff -"Jazzie's Groove" is grooving with a big bassline and drum beat
Very much an 80-90s sound. Smooth and easy listening with a couple of 'classics' intermixed. At some point I'm expecting Paula Abdul to start singing....
Fun album albeit not my genre. It sounds specifically dated - so much so it feels cool again.
Best Song: Back to Life. Angelic singers serenading you with soul. Worst Song: Feeling Free. Feels like a dude just talking over a beat in front of a captive audience. Overall: The music grooves, the backup singers are killing it, it's honestly just the main male vocals that drag the album down. The male vocals sound really dated, and are delivered with a sort of impassivity that doesn't jive with the rest of the output.
was great when it was released. I remember it well. Over time, I've lost interest in most of the songs... but there are a few classics. 3/5
alright, liked the overall sound/energy of the album but the tracklist began to drag towards the end, 6/10
Great album. A bit patchy and dated in places but I remember how good it was when it came out
It was ok. Lots of good rhythms and drum loops to it, but it also sounded really dated. Some fun songs too, especially Back To Life and African Dance- but overall pretty forgettable. Theirs just not enough variation in the songs “sound” to warrant a higher rating- maybe I’ll look back at it later with different eyes
Well I see it was originally 10 tracks which is good. The Spotify version has 16 and a mixed order so sorry if my impresión on the album is distorted by this but the album is looooong and overstated, I like the mixing but would like some more organic drums
This sounds like one of those nameless demo CDs you got in the 90s when you bought a Sound Blaster ('member when PCs didn't come factory with a sound card?). It's good enough, but in a bad way. 3/5.
The album was ok. A couple of songs were familiar, but I am not sure why there were several versions of the same song. It was a little repetitive and a little long because of it. It is better than a 2 ans not quite a 3. I will roundup.
Lot of funk. Lot of soul. Heard it on the way to the airport. Didn't suit the vibe. Might go back to it
Party album from back when I was watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air and dancing on fun beats.
Certainly an important album because of what it kick-started, and those singles, but not as sure it's an essential album in and of itself. This production sound is almost as era-defining as the Stock, Aitken and Waterman sound was for the couple of years before it. And, well, despite anything else I say here I know which one I prefer. Erm, why is African Dance followed by the same song with less flute and more talking? Just don't stop, carry on. Kind of responsible for the explosion of artists I wasn't into, like, I dunno, the Brand New Heavies and stuff. It's aged in a way that Bjork's Debut hasn't (though nowhere near as much as some here are making out imho), although they both remain extremely transportative listens to their times.
Basic hiphop beats on a basic soul track. That's exactly what you would hear in a typical jeepney with music here in the Philippines. That's what this album basically is, a groovy background music. Tip for future listeners: once you hear a male vocal, SKIP THAT TRACK.
A pivotal moment in British dance music, bringing a sound system vibe to the mainstream. Improbably, the album features an a Capella version of Back to Life and not the smash hit single club version which was everywhere, all the time. Either way, Caron Wheeler’s vocals are sublime. The album doesn’t hold up all that well - too many limp tracks that fail to excite and sketches for songs not fleshed out - but the impact and influence of Soul II Soul was huge.
A grand fusion of house/dance beats, hip-hop breaks, and jazz/R&B instrumentation, all with an undertone and influence of African roots. When it all comes together, as in the hit songs like 'Keep On Movin'' and 'Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)' as well as lesser-known songs like 'Happiness Dub' and 'Jazzie's Groove - Piano Version', it really hits.
Just based on the name I was bracing myself for the worst. But this CD is awesome. I'm not sure the singers they get on are officially part of the band or not (there's several of them, always listed with separate names) but they're all very good, like A-level talent. This CD is a testament to how far you can get with just a stable of incredible vocal talent and not much in the way of good material. The songs are basically just open-ended templates for the singers to solo over - little more than drum beats with a little bit of light harmony (typically hanging on one chord for the entire song). "Back to Life" is the highlight, and while it eventually does add in drums, the first few minutes are straight a capella and it works perfectly well that way. "Feel Free" and "Holdin' On" are other high points. I'm probably not putting this in my regular CD rotation - for one thing, the songs without vocals like "Feelin' Free" and the two "Dance" songs are in my opinion just total duds - but I liked listening to it.
Lekker album. Prima nummers, maar niet allemaal even swingend als "Keep On Movin'". ***
Fun but mostly forgettable early 90s club R&B. Very much of its time. Generally enjoyed it, but it's not one I'm likely to go back to. Fave Songs: Keep on Movin', Happiness, Holdin' On, Fairplay, Back to Life
Listening to early house music, like early hip-hop, is mainly interesting only in an academic sense. Fortunately I'm a massive frickin' nerd and that's fine with me. 🤓 I enjoyed the way the tracks flowed into each other. The vocals from the women at least are still excellent, though the raps from the men are very dated. Fave track - "Back to Life" obviously - that tune still holds up really well!
Feels like there's one or two good songs on here that get rehashed over and over again. I think African Dance and Jazzie's Groove are standouts for me,
Enjoyed this. Good background music. Recognised a few songs too. Not generally my thing. Apparently "keep on movin" is so good they put it on the album twice!
was fine, what you'd expect of 90s 'club classics' nothing I'd bump again specifically
Just not enough of a structure and beat to be enjoyable, too stripped down, mostly just some percussion in the background
When started listening thought it would be better than it was. Felt like a lot of filler. A cappella album version of 'back to life' pretty boring. Bonus version of tracks better.
Pretty cool, but not something I'm going to return to. Funky and enjoyable. The big hits on the album like "Back to Life" didn't do a whole lot for me.
Not the most fun collection. Some stand-outs that were mildly interesting, but this feels like a very sad club.
What on earth is this...! Keep On Movin' - Strong Opener. Fun beats and feel Fairplay - Wow this is the most annoying vocals I've ever heard on a track ever. Sorry, Rose Windross Holdin' On - This track has awful vocals too, but ends strong. Feeling Free - This is my shit. Great beat, fun raps. African Dance - Excellent. Jazzy Flute Dance - Also excellent. Feel Free - Oh okay here we go back to horrible shit. This lady is making my ears bleed. Happiness - Chill groove Back to Life - This one I've actually heard before. Great. Jazzie's Groove - Maybe my favorite one. So great. Makes London seem cool, and that's saying something. Ambition (Rap) - This album is at its best when people are rapping instead of singing. All the remixes on the 10th anniversary bonus content are also great. Many are better than on the original album itself. There's too much that I find grating her, so I cannot in good faith give it a high rating, but the good tracks are gold.
Reasonable background music. Strong last two songs, otherwise, not particularly great.
Album had leuke momenten maar ik vond het wel echt lang en wat tegenvallen met momenten
Ehhh, not really my thing. I liked "African Dance" and "Feel Free" (plus "Ambition" which was a bonus track) but the rest didn't do much for me. "Dance" which was basically "African Dance" with a spoken vocal sounded almost like a parody. I wanted some Flight of the Conchords type lyrics. Oh, well.
One of the good things about researching an album before you listen to it is you that know what the bonus tracks are so that you can skip them. There is a lot of good dance music out there. This just isn't part of that. Not a lot of ideas going on here.
It was ok, I guess. A lot of the songs started to sound the same after a while. “Jazzie’s Groove” I could not stand. A song or two of this style would be good to hear as a palate cleanser. But a whole album? Pass.
Calling this album "Club Classics" feels like a bold move; I couldn't see myself enjoying most of these songs in a club context. Shoutout to African Dance though.
Um álbum que têm uma linha condutor e as canções giram a volta desta linha nos mais diversos géneros, tendo músicas de soul, rap até a eletrónica. Isto a certo ponto torna-se uma desvantagem para alguém que não goste de um gênero em específico. No geral um bom album para os interessados e que gostem destes generos, infelizmente eu não sou o público alvo. Nota: 3/10
The guy's voice kind of reminded me of Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords. This was okay, but didn't love it. 2 stars.
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.
5th October 2021 Listened during the day in Spain. Not too bad, definitely a vibe but didn't grab me.
Didn’t expect to enjoy this - and I was right for the most part. Super not distinguishable from any other early 90’s techno-pop acts. The layout of the album confused the crap out of me as well as it bounced around between different versions of the same songs. The best song on the album is the single - but why they went with a mostly acapella version before the more pop friendly remix later on the album I’ll never understand. That song saved it from being a one star. (Also odd that the acapella version is called “Back to Life” when that lyric wasn’t added until the full version - which ironically then tags on the sub title “However Do You Want Me” which was all over the first version. Hurts my brain. Favourite track: “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me”
Expecting worse given the album art fairly inoffensive music. Just dull
I didn’t enjoy this. Didn’t hate it but it’s just not doing anything for me.
Okay but really feels a bit like hotel music on more than a couple of tracks
Nothing too special to my liking with this one. Some of the songs are catchy and upbeat but it doesn’t really grow past that. It felt mainly like background noise as I was listening. 3.7/10
Dance music is most definitely not my thing but overall... this is pretty good. At its best it's soulful with great production especially for the 80s - I mean...you know it's the 80s but also kind of not? :P I remember "Back to Life" being the big hit and I like it far better now than in my mullet days. Other highlights for me are "Fairplay" - smooth yet with a fantastic groove - and the instrumental "African Dance" with flute solo throughout works even if the electronic percussion does get repetitive. But the parts of this album that I don't love aren't necessarily bad by any means (e.g. "Holdin' On") they're just more of a standard club/dance beat that don't hold my interest as songs and that's my overall feel here... Overall it's not really something I feel like is or would be an "active listen" for me; good party music perhaps. My rating is totally a personal thing - if you're more into dance/r&b this is probably like a 9/10 4 or 5 star. 5/10 2 stars
this type of music has just never been something interesting to me. i liked maybe one or two songs but other than that it just dragged on and was background noise.
Ci sono canzoni belle tipo 'Keep on Movin' e canzoni un po' più noiose, un bel mood comunque. Mi piacciono le due feat. Caron Wheeler. Salvano l'album.
This one wasn’t quite for me, I might have liked a couple of the songs when I was a teenager in the early 90s but not so much now.
This was... not very good. Holdin' On was out of tune. Some of these were palatable, but I mostly did not enjoy.
Not my thing. I don't enjoy the genre too much and the album is quite tedious. Feels very repetitive and quite soulless.
They're definitely club classics, just not ones I know! Interesting beats abound, not my thing though.
Boldly if not preposterously titled, this is nothing if not the sound of 1989. Think I'll stick with the singles, to be honest.
Didn’t really listen to it all the way through because a Uni friend played it constantly when it came out. Middle of the road, easily listening soul in my opinion. Not something I want to listen to.
The epitome of 90's shabby albums underpinning a couple of club bangers. 2 club classics, everything else is dreck - it was better owning the 12 inch, or CD single with the best tunes and a couple of remixes
Compilation? Ok funky stuff, but very much the same song repeated many times. So not that excited after all
Meritable barreja de soul, reggae i r&b amb ritmes de club. Més com a banda sonora de nit o de fons que per escoltar i fruir. No em va impressionar al seu moment, i no ho ha fet ara
The tracks that are bangers make this album worthwhile, but overall it’s pretty lackluster and sounds a bit dated. Keep On Movin’, Back To Life, and Jazzie’s Groove are decent though!
Not as good as I expected based on my limited previous exposure to the band. Two OK tracks both of which I knew prior to listening. The acapella version of Back to Life was mildly interesting.