Reviews (page 5 of 7)
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
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.
Fun album albeit not my genre. It sounds specifically dated - so much so it feels cool again.
Good album but a bit confusing Wich tracks were bonus
Claaaasic
Groovy. Would likely tear up the club to these tunes
bruh bassics
Old school
House-y.
swinging, confident, summertime sounds
To be completed
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....
nice. One Mega hot and the rest are not less good. early 90's pop/
-"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
Meh i dunno
Ballsy move, naming your album that. Glad it worked out.
Pleasant album. Very danceable. Nice grooves.
Enjoyed Feel Free.
Average. But, the song Back To Life will forever be a bop.
-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
Nice and mellow, groovy soul.
6/10. this had some nice beats, but none of the performances were really outstanding and it never really hooked my attention.
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
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.
S'alright
🦍🐷🐫🐗🐮🐻🦨🐸
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.
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
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.
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.
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"
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
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.
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.
good funky grooves.
Cool grooves, particularly Keep on Movin', I do feel however that something is lost in the move from the 'club' to the living room.
Funky grooves and rhythms. Does what it says in the tin. Some of the uplifting lyrics are pretty awful but happy to forgive this.
false
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.
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.
Stands up pretty well i think
Back to Life es conocida. El resto, bueno, no está mal. Pero un poco rollo. 3.
Who needs Red Bull?
sounds very 90s for something that came out in the 80s
Dug this one. Was great to work to
C’est bon, il y beaucoup de diversite et les chansons s’ecoutent bien en travaillant. 3.25
Keep On Movin'
House music with a few interesting moments, but not particularly exciting on the whole.
Ok
Not my vibe but not too bad.
s'ite
The music, rhythm and vibe is what makes this album excellent. Creative and energetic.
Surely a product of its time, but still a worthwhile listen. Positive messaging, funky beats. One of the songs, the singer indicates they are making an album or experience to dance to. And they succeeded. Can definitely visualize this being bumped at a photo shoot or hip underground club. (Honestly I felt like I was in an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air most of this album)
It's alright, not a general fan but I can't say anything here is bad.
Great vibes.
3.3
"Back to Life" - forever a classic. "Dance" was my discovered gem, a bop.
Ugggh. Even if there wasn't a mercury prize you can still feel it. Also it takes brass balls to release an album with this title and then make that music happen
Not really into club music so I give them a lot of credit for letting me know from the jump that this wasn't going to be for me. Back To Life is a banger, though.
The singles are decent but nothing spectacular and the album in full is dull. Maybe just not my scene.
Didn't really like it
it’s fine. couple standout tracks but another one where I’m scratching my head over its inclusion
Why would anyone title their album like a cheap Clubland compilation? The songs on "Club Classics Vol. One" were brand new at the time of release, so they wouldn't be "classics". As for its content, it's your average late 80s tunes. There are no thrills to be had on "Club Classics Vol. One". It has a lot of late 80s musical tropes, like bland electronic piano keys, which were done to death at this point. 2 stars for "Club Classics Vol. One".
The album was.. interesting? I didn't really enjoy it, but didn't necessarily dislike it? Firmly in the middle for me, it was fine, 2.5?
Not really interesting although not everything is bad
Not sure what to make of that exactly
I would have liked it if it was shorter.
Good to work out to, but overall meh
Back To Life was something I remember and I think Keep On Movin' but this was a 2 star album for me.
The opener was a bit of a mid-tempo slog. The second track has a pretty cool, funky bass line. This would be a killer funk song with a real drummer doing something more interesting. 3rd track was similar in that it had some cool bass going on, but let down by the simplistic drum machine programming. 4th track was a slog. Sing-song-y rap over a just-slower-than-mid-tempo groove. 5th track is essentially an extended jazz flute solo over a two-note vamp. It was actually pretty refreshing. 6th track takes the same vamp, relegates the flute to being part of the vamp, then has spoken-word verses with sung choruses. So weird. Back To Life is slower than i remember it being. It is a bit of an encapsulation of the rest of the album: drum machine programming is lacking, bass groove is good, female vocals are good, tempo is slower than feels right. Closing track uses some horn samples from some soul/funk song I can't place. The drum programming here is actually much improved over the rest of the album. Bass still doing interesting stuff, but then spoken-word over the top. With all the spoken-word on this album (not rap, though there's a decent amount of that, too) it tends to come across as a soul/rnb version of Mike Meyers' hipster bullshit in How I Married An Axe Murderer. which is hilariously awful (and quotable) in the movie, but is just annoying in the real world. 2 stars
I guess this is meant to swing and be smooth, and its beats have some style, but the songs are more confectionary than nutritious
not my favorite but fun and definitely of its time
Not bad but not amazing either
I love 80s music and dance, but this is not one of the essential albums from the 1980s. Not even among R&B, Hip Hop, or Neo Soul. Everything, with exception of the one hit wonder "Back to Life" is pretty weak. It it crazy hubris to call this CLUB CLASSICS VOL. ONE. Lyrics and male vocals are tedious AF. Most bearable: "Back to Life"
Lowkey didn’t care about this at all
5/10
It's my birthday today. 🎉 After reviewing 266 albums, I was hoping the algorithm would have somehow learned what I like and don't like, and would have “decided” to serve me up something nice for the day that's in it. Some amazing album I've never heard before, that would end up being a five star discovery and something I'd talk about for years to come. Or, a classic that I already know and love, a familiar favourite that I'm given a nudge to revisit, sit with, and just enjoy for the day. Turns out that Soul II Soul’s "Club Classics Vol. One" is how I'll be ringing in my 43rd year surviving the challenges of life on this planet. Oh how well you know me, oh mighty algorithm. 🙄 At least it's not another Morrissey day. This collection of repetitive soul house piano melodies seemed to go on forever. It's not just the melodies that are repetitive, the tracklisting is too. It seemed like the songs “Keep On Movin'” and “Back To Life” came up six or seven times, with slight variations each time. I think the version of “Back To Life” that we all know is actually omitted from the original album, included here as a bonus track. That’s the one positive about the album. “Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)” is a proper tune. The harmonies are great, but it's the big beat that really makes it. I quite liked “Jazzie’s Groove” too, keeping that big beat alive and adding in some sounds and mixing that feel a little more from the world of Run DMC than Soul II Soul. The rest of the songs on the album though feel very stuck in their time period. This is late 80s, early 90s Top of the Pops fodder through and through. I think it's funny that they named the album “Club Classics Vol. One”. It sounds like a compilation but instead it's as if Soul II Soul had decided themselves that not only are these a collection of absolute classics, but there would definitely be a need for a second volume to contain even more classics. And I hate to break it to them, but despite the name, this is not the classic album I was hoping for on my birthday. Happy birthday to me. I took a little break from this project due to a flurry of concerts (that's the correct collective for concerts) and some unexpected health issues. But now it's time to get back into this and see what the algorithm has in store for me next. Or in the wise old words of Soul II Soul, I'll get back to life, back to reality and keep on movin’ (don't stop).
I didn’t get on with this. I find this kind of 80s hip-hop so dated and cheesy sounding. Nothing excited me.
In theory I feel like I would like this. I like vibes music, I like dub/downtempo and R&B for the most part, but this, man, it just kind of bored me. There's only one song I can really remember anything about. None of it's bad by any means it just didn't move me. And that could be down to my mood, which is probably going to affect all these ratings come to think of it. But why was listening to Parklife good, even better in a bad mood while this wasn't? I guess I'd say that Parklife in a bad mood is like a friend coming over to hang out, make stupid jokes to distract you, offer to take you to the rubbish tip to smash some plates and let you cry on your shoulder at the end, while Club Classics Vol 1 by Soul II Soul is like being at a picnic as someone's plus one, and it's very sunny and there's a boombox with people sort of lazily grooving, but you just want to go home.
A bit tiring.
I spent the entire album waiting for a song to actually start.
Nice!
Insubstantial and uninteresting. Inoffensive, though. No more than 2.5?
Fine for what it is but not my taste
Repetitive and boring. Apart from the two big hits, which are good songs but also repetitive, the rest of the album didn't go anywhere. Really didn't like the flute improv solo. Didn't realise the original Back to Life was acapella. 2/5
I was going to give this a 3 because Back to Life is a stellar groove but the proper version isn’t even in the actual album and without it this is fine, unremarkable, the kind of pleasant slightly innovative in context product of its time I’m fine forgetting where we left it
The songs with the female singers were good, the rest was not really my jam. Not necessarily bad, just a little boring for me. 2
80’s Hip Hop
Helt ok men trist i längden
Chill men det var också tråkigt.
Soul II Soul ist ein britisches Kollektiv aus London, angeführt vom DJ und Produzenten Jazzie B, der seine künstlerische Identität in der lokalen Sound-System-Kultur der späten 1980er-Jahre entwickelte. Das Debütalbum Club Classics Vol. One entstand 1988/89 in mehreren Londoner Studios – hauptsächlich in den Britannia Row Studios, ergänzt durch Aufnahmesessions in den Addis Ababa Studios, im Lillie Yard Studio sowie im Westside Studios – und erschien 1989 auf dem britischen Independent-Label 10 Records. Jazzie B und Produzent Nellee Hooper verdichteten Soul, Hip-Hop, Reggae und Rare Groove zu einem Klang, der so spezifisch britisch war, dass er die internationale Popkultur dauerhaft neu ausrichtete. Die Singles „Keep On Movin'" und „Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" – letztere mit Caron Wheeler an den Vocals – definieren das Album nach außen, doch seine Stärke liegt im Zusammenspiel der rotierenden Sängerinnen, der lebendigen Live-Band-Elemente und einer Rhythmusarbeit, die Tanzbarkeit nie gegen Tiefe ausspielt. Dass das Album in Großbritannien auf Platz eins der Charts kletterte und dreifaches Platin erhielt, überrascht rückblickend wenig: Es traf einen gesellschaftlichen Nerv. Die Botschaft – „A happy face, a thumping bass, for a loving race" – war politisch, ohne je agitatorisch zu klingen. Club Classics Vol. One ist eines jener seltenen Debüts, die zugleich Zeitdokument und zeitloses Artefakt sind. Wo viele Alben dieser Ära heute vor allem als Nostalgieobjekte funktionieren, klingt dieses Werk schlicht noch – als hätte es nie aufgehört zu laufen. Wer den britischen Soul der späten Achtziger verstehen will, beginnt hier und nirgendwo sonst.
A couple of good tracks, but a lot of bland drawn out songs. Sure they would have better remixes
Non fa per me assolutamente
I enjoyed listening and working to this album
A solid ok. Not really my kind of thing.
Just a bit dull, nothing grabbed me
Pretty forgetful album. Didn’t speak to me in any way.
First few tracks this was heading straight to one star territory. I didn’t enjoy it at all. Then African Dance came on and I really liked it so that bumps it up to a two. Overall it was just kinda background music, not for me at all.
This album was just fine? Wasn't really enthused.
Truthfully, I can't say I get it. I can see that the repetition in the lyrics is an attempt for the voices to be used more as part of the instrumentation, but I'm so lyric-focused that I find it quite difficult to actively pay attention to the album and still enjoy it.
If you're playing this at the congregation you're out. This type of music has aged really poorly. There's a decent beat but then none of the songs built up from that or create something interesting to further keep you engaged. It slides into the background, which sounds intentional but doesn't really feel like it was intentional. Back To Life is an 80's guilty pleasure and does save it quite a bit, but I wish the rest of the album was more of that and less of whatever else was going on.
Good "club" beats I suppose - if you like that sorta thing.
Didn’t love this
I wouldn’t call it bad, but it’s just not anything I’m interested in.
Litt som å være på Selskapssiden, men nå er jeg edru og det er tirsdag
Grote hit met Back to Life, maar verder wat eentonig en gedateerd
I was apparently in college when this came out and I have zero recollection of its existence. There's some slick productions, nice beats and some good vocals but it doesn't blend together well and lacks anything beyond the technical aspects
It's never a good sign when the most boring parts of the album are also the best parts of the album. I thought this stuff was cheesy when I was 12 years old and I still do.
and the club goes mild the thing about styles, trends, fashions is that they go out of style. Most of the vocal styling on this is very grating, now favorite track - African Dance
Kinda weird to listen to as an album
This album is way too long. It's got a couple interesting songs, but overall isn't enough to justify every listening to it ever again. It's very 80s electro-soul, but the beats are pretty generic. The male vocalist on a few of the tracks was not very good, but he was trying really hard to sell it. Standouts were "Keep On Movin'" and "Feel Free" It's a 2 for me. Not my thing. Was very repetitive and I was glad when it was finally over.
Not interesting
I mean, I’m sure this does sound great in a club. Maybe a bar with a mirror and dim lights. Cold outside but hot in here, you know? But I’d expect something more humid and loose for that purpose - this is pretty polished and almost buttoned-up. It’s clearly well made but I wasn’t swept away during my listen. I was leaning towards a higher rating out of respect for the craft on display, but I was tired of it by the end and must rate accordingly. Call it a strong two, I guess.
Two stars is being generous - this is generic bullshit with absolutley no soul. Should be Soul - Soul equals zero
Even if it fits into my tastes I did find it quite plain overall
Feels very samey with very little substance.
This was a new art form in 1989. It’s fine. It didn’t land with me.
Some good tracks, but way too much of the same thing over and over again. Club Classics is a good title, after listening to the album I felt like I had spent too much time in the club, with too much bass and strobe lights. Just a little bit less would have been better.
Soul II Soul's Club Classics? More like Club Snoozefest—yawns over beats, zero dance party vibes! 😴💤
It’s ok. One banger and a bunch of fillers. Did not age well.
Just not my thing.
inoffensive but didn't really groove like I expected
Sounds like the mall.
Why make one track when 3 (the first three) will do. Warble warble. Feeling free is decent. Few decent track interspersed with boring drivel
Kjedelig. 1-2
so you’re telling me the Back II Life on here isn’t even a remotely similar version to the great single? it’s a mostly acapella version??? yeah… no. I did originally give this a 3, bang average but on reflection I am deducting 1 star for that crime. fuck you
Not my thing. Next....
It was okay but not for me.
the singles i know from this album are really good, but everything else was so drawn out. the male vocals were awful!! so so grating!!
Their debut album. House / Soul / Hip Hop. The production is crisp and there are some funky beats but it does get a bit one dimensional and boring. Back To Life is the obvious banger and was a huge hit at the time. The rest of the album felt pretty dull. African Dance made me think of Ron Burgundy's flute solo in Anchorman 🤔
This album is boring, sorry guys. Back to Life is great but otherwise pretty lifeless for me.
Gav likes this
Good but not much to write home about
I'm sure these were big club hits in the UK club scene in the late 80's and early 90's, but for someone listening to this at home these fall flat.
Some songs are way better than others
Not my style
There's not enough going on if that makes sence
‘African dance’ duurt wat lang en begint net zoals de rest van het album heel repetitief te worden. De productie was niet echt mijn stijl en ik vond de lyrics ook niet zo goed.
I was and am far too white for this album.
So I listened to the first verse and thought to myself that it would've been such a sick intro for a rap track... but it wasn't a rap track and the intro was how the entire album was gonna go. Too bad!
Could do without. Speaking of which, this could do with some more dolphin screams
For a dance album, this was pretty boring and repetitive.
Back to Life saves this from one-star ignominy.
1.5
Two great songs and some inoffensive filler.
This somehow ahead of it’s time and incredibly dated.
Back to Life, Keep Moving were Freshman High school classics …rest of album was one note …triggered being a pimply faced teen :)
2.5 Stars - We've got one pretty good song and a bunch of inoffensive songs I'll never listen to again. Just not my thing
Kinda bland but it’s ok ig
Couldn’t wait for this to be over. It wasn’t bad, but it was just irritating to me for some reason. Definitely not my thing. 2/5
I'm sure this sounded fresh and vibrant in the 80s but it definitely hasn't aged well. Favorite track: Back to Life
This album was 5 similar versions of the same song
This was fun! Parts were a little boring, and how many times do they need to feature their hit?? 2.5
Listened to it multiple times in very different settings, but each time it was more annoying than pleasing. The music sounded plain boring with the vocals being either ok (the female ones) or irritating (male ones). Honorary mention for "African Dance", the only piece on this album that actually interested me and gave me a couple of minutes of good experience. I really enjoyed the flute part, reminded me of flute-focused albums of Bobbi Humphrey. Other than that forgettable for me.
Honestly, I found this fairly bland and boring. Most of it was fine, I guess, but didn't draw me in at all. Not really sure why it's on this list. Overall: 2.25/5
When I was a kid, my grandma had one of those small organs in her basement that had these music genre presets you could turn on by flipping a switch. Samba, rock, etc. I think that's what they used to make this. It wasn't horrible. I moved my body. But damn if this isn't some corny ahh music. Fave tracks: - Keep On Movin' - Fairplay - Feel Free - Back To Life - Ambition (Rap) - Jazzie's Groove (Piano Version)
Okay Too long and didnt hold my interest. But good enough High 2?
didn’t do much for me
Not a fan
God damn, but this has aged like a cumsock that has been soaked in rat milk and accidentally left in a radiator in a damp ground-floor flat.
Good flow listen, but would not be something I would go to for casual listening.
It was ok at times, mostly just not my thing.
not too memorable
Soul II soul es un colectivo musical británico de fines de los 80s y 90s, club Classics vol. One es un disco de R&B y soul, que mezcla elementos electrónicos y rap. Desconozco el origen de los músicos pero siento influencias como africanas sobre todo en tema de coros y percusiones. En general es un disco interesante pero que a mí me resultó repetitivo, todas las canciones tiene esa característica, una base rítmica sampleada y que se mantienen en toda la canción a lo que se van agregan algunos elementos como pianos, cuerdas, voces, etc pero además de eso se mantiene bastante plana, no hay puentes interesantes que agreguen tensión, es un tema como para sentirlo y vacilarlo más que un gran álbum desde lo musical o la producción. Personalmente creo que es para un dorila
Not into this kind of dance music. It all sounds kind of the same to me.
Was fine for background music but can't see myself coming back to this one.
Evokes a very specific time and place for sure. Back to Life still hits and I also liked Feel Free. The rest is sort of forgettable now, but I’m sure it has been influential at the time.
Repetitive drum beat throughout the album
This is decently listenable, but I don’t think we can let them get away with how cheesy this is.
Didn’t listen..
Very disco r&b soul I like 50/50
This is a very generic example of electronic music and reflects poorly as an example of representing the genre as one of the best albums... Something extremely European is going on here.
Given the album title Club Classics Vol. One, I naturally expected vibrant, upbeat dance music. What I got instead was disappointingly watered-down soul. If this were playing in an actual club, I’d probably head for the exit. It’s passable as low-key background music, but that’s about it.
If any of these songs were played in a club everyone would sit down. Simple late-80s beats that weren’t up tempo enough to be considered dance music, and the lyrics were mostly like socially conscious rap. Album was not cohesive at all and was boring as hell. 2/5
Late 80s early electronic soul rap junk.
2.5 I wasn't particularly entertained, but I do think that I should give this album another chance someday, so there's a possibility I will bump the rating up in the future. The vocalists are great, for sure.
#792. Mostly kinda boring, but there's one or two decent songs. 2/5: meh
1.9
Didn't think much of this. I remember "Back to Life", but I haven't missed not hearing it in the intervening years.
It feels like tare too many styles going on here. Some tracks are decent and I think I’ve heard Holdin’ On before, but I have no idea where or when. I’ll give this 2 stars since it’s not actively annoying me, but I don’t see myself playing it again.
Another disappointing album. Decent bits here and there, but nothing I'd get super excited about. Seems like it would work well, with R&B, funk, jazz, breakbeats, etc. but just never does.
Not my cup of up-tempo club beats.....
It's a nice enough album. Pleasant to listen to and all. But so so so dated. 2.5 stars, that I'm rounding down due to my own policy.
I mean it was ok background music but couldn't tell you one name of one song soooooo 2/5
The thing about this list, is that it’s a list of albums. Albums are not the only way to consume music, there are also live shows, parties, streaming. Albums were an important (perhaps the most important) vehicle of music delivery for a period roughly 1960-2010. The album as a vehicle was the primary vehicle of delivery for rock music and became an important one for other genres like jazz and hip hop. For some genres it never really made sense and dance music is one of them. This is an album of soulful dance numbers that makes zero sense as an album. This is a dance party that needs the energy of a dance party. Sitting down to listen to it (or driving/working out/folding laundry to it) makes little sense. The energy is just not there and it becomes tedious. So I guess two stars but through no fault of its own.
I don’t know man… I accept that it Is musically good, shows talent… it just didn’t resonate with me at all. I’m sure many other people will give it all the stars. I always struggle with how to rate albums that just aren’t to my taste.
2 - it was ok. Generic dance music
Not very inspiring. Perhaps it was groundbreaking at the time but feels bland
After listening, I hardly have an opinion. Some moderately funky spoken word stuff. A bit trip-hop at times. But very boring.
Everytime generator brings me a dance album I try to find something good about it, but most times I can't. Sorry this time of music is just too annoying for me :(
Didn't get much from this. Listened to it while sewing, probably not the usual vibe.
Sendo sincero, eu mal prestei atenção nesse álbum. Meu foco estava na minha tentativa falha de tentar desvendar as maquinações da mente de quem fez a curadoria da lista e decidiu incluir este disco nela. Um álbum que você PRECISA ouvir antes de morrer… esse? Não, não mesmo. Você não precisa. Se fosse levar só esse aspecto em consideração, essa seria minha primeira nota 0/5. Mas a verdade é que nada aqui é totalmente desagradável. Nenhum aspecto dessas faixas é inerentemente ruim. O disco até tem alguns momentos que farão você esboçar alguma reação, se mexer um pouco. A canção African Dance é um exemplo. O problema da questão é que um disco ruim, mas ruim mesmo, é memorável pelo menos. Esse aqui, em toda sua mediocridade, acaba sendo completamente esquecível e passageiro. Entra por um ouvido e sai pelo outro, e ao ouvi-lo em sequência, rapidamente se torna som ambiente de fundo. Uma inclusão bizarra à lista. Não é necessariamente ruim, mas não vejo motivo nenhum pra ouvir qualquer uma dessas canções, nem uma vez, tão pouco repetidas vezes. Vai pra crescente lista de discos que nunca mais vou pensar sobre ou levantar a sobrancelha ao ouvir seu nome ou ver sua capa em algum lugar. Tédio. 2/5
Of it's time laid back beats. "Keep on Movin'" and "Back to Life" bring me back, but there is not much more than memory hits to keep this interesting.
Radio in the early 90's. I didn't love it, but I lived it.
Eh.
This is why I don't go to clubs. Well, one of the reasons. This album feels like a big ol' nothingburger. The most egregious crime it commits is the repetitive 6 minute instrumental track, immediately followed by a further nearly 4 minutes of the SAME SONG, but this time with some nothingburger lyrics about making you dance and putting you in a trance. Even so, it could've been worse.
Background music. Back to Life is still a bop though
not for me
Got really excited Then was really let down It's all a bit boring isn't it?
This album sounds very dated and hardly checks any groundbreaking boxes. My streak of low rated, not interesting albums continues unfortunately.
These drums were in everything in 1990 and 91.
That accapella version was horrid
Does not hold up
Not nearly as epic as I thought it was going to be, I actually quite disappointing.
Just kinda boring.
A nice look into the eighties club scene, but not really a corner of that great genre I’ll check into again.
Na prvi pogled nimam pojma, quick google mi pa pove, da vsaj en komad poznam. Začetek je čist kul, mellow ("Keep On Movin'".) Ok, mogoč mal repetitive. Naslednji, "Fairplay" je čist kul, ampak se ne spomnim več, kako je prvi zvenel? Pr "Holdin' On" je aggressively British moški vokal glavni (prej sta bla ženska). Ful je bl živahen. Ni mi tok všeč. Vokal ni dobr. Bl govori, ker pet niti ne zna. Ha, naslednji ("Feelin' Free") se začne s samplom, k mi je znan (očitno je od KC & The Sunshine Band - men je od Digable Planets poznan). It's fine, I guess. "African Dance" je instrumentalen s flavta solom throughout. In je najboljši komad do zdej. Je pa iz nekega razloga 6 minut dolg. In nasledn komad ("Dance") zveni isto k se začne, še flavta je najprej. (In ne, ni blo seamless morpha iz enega komada v drug.) Pa spet tip govori. "Feel Free" (čak, prej smo mel skor isti naslov?) ma spet žensko k zna pet, tko da, vsaj to. Je pa tak, mal funky. Naslednji je ok. Bongos! In, komad, k ga vsi poznamo: "Back To Life". Nism vedla, da se tko začne? In šele dve tretjine v komad zveni tko, kokr se ga spomnim. Se prav, je bil le kak remix ta bolj poznana verzija? (Poslušam zj še alternate verzijo & ja, to je verzija, k jo vsi poznamo. And it's better.) In komad morphne v zadnjega, "Jazzie's Groove" (I love a good semaless morph). Ta mi je pa kul. (Dejansko, ne zato, k vem, da sm fertik.) Na splošno pa mal dolgočasno.
there were enjoyable moments but also i cannot look past the poor lyricism.
Kinda borin
I like the soulful R&B groove this album has, but it just doesn’t hold my attention through the end of most of the songs.
Meh. Didn't care for this one really.
I thought it was pretty groovy. gives like 'late night drive' vibes or 'im in this randoms person's house and this is the music in their living room' type vibes. Pretty cool. I dont think I would listen to again tho. I liked like 2-3 songs
Not sure what this is. It's like "We have C&C Music Factory at home" - but this is what you have at home. It's not bad but it's not good. I guess this was what Britain had for R&B in the nineties, sorry 'bout that. I got halfway through this album before finally giving up.
This had a couple pleasant tunes, but also many really lame ones.
a few good songs. alot of mid songs. a few terrible ones
This album is essential- ly generic garbage. But it was short and relatively painless. And as pathetic as it may be, that's enough to clear the failure bar so many other albums on this list could not.
This was alright. Pretty lame though. No need for it to be on this list.
The vocals on every song are awful and real don’t suit the chilled vibe of the music.
Really not a fan of this sub-genre of hip-hop Best Song: Keep on Movin Rating: 4.0/10 Stars: 2
Keep On Movin' is alright but the rest is just as dire as I had expected. So 2 stars for Keep On Movin' but without it it would only be 1.
Nostalgic but not a must listen in my opinion
Great background music for a trendy restaurant serving sundried tomatoes, but not a record I feel I need to dance too. Maybe this was to set the tone for a hip party?
There’s nothing wrong with it I suppose. I appreciate this genre in a way… but the other half of me is saying this is pretty crap. I’m not a fan of mindless vocalising over a beat. And that’s what a lot of this is. There’s parts that make me wanna dance and there’s parts that make me want to turn this off. Not for me.
Dated and boring. Back to Life saves this album from being completely uninteresting.
After already being well acquainted with the fantastic Back to Life, this was a little disappointing, as nothing else on the record came close to it. It's perfectly fine house music, but nothing special whatsoever compared to other records in the genre. Fave track on this listen: Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)
Bland 80s nonsense
Dated. Repetitive. Lacks depth. And I don’t appreciate dance music.
Meh. I like soul but meh
Pretty generic, sounds like music written to avoid copywrite infringement for keywords "hip hop and soul".
Onmiskenbaar eind jaren '80. Een periode waar we al veel meer van hebben gehoord in deze lijst en waar dit album totaal niets aan toevoegt. Toegegeven. De hit geeft het genre prachtig weer. Maar die staat niet op het album. Althans op het album is gekozen voor een a capella versie. Even het boek erbij dan. Waarom deze schijf? Het zorgde volgens het boek 'eigenhandig voor een opleving van de Britse soul'. Ja daaa-aaag. Het is niet dat het soul muziek is, omdat de band twee keer het woordje soul in de naam draagt. Natuurlijk, er zijn onmiskenbaar invloeden vanuit de soul. Maar de bekende nummers van deze groep werden toen waarschijnlijk disco genoemd en zouden we nu als vroege Eurodance kunnen zien. Dat kan je geen opleving van de soul noemen.
Dit is zo'n typisch eind jaren 80, early 90s R&B-product. Veel drums en samples uit een computer, heavy op de bas en dan een zanger of rapper eroverheen laten jengelen. Soms komt er zo'n verschrikkelijk irritant CeCe Peniston pianootje bij. Daarover gesproken, die oorwurm Finally moet toch echt in de top10 van meest afschuwelijke nummers ooit staan lijkt me, dat is echt nagels op een krijtbord. Er staan gelukkig ook nog een paar meer dance georienteerde tracks op, zoals African Dance en Dance. Dat doet me door de panfluit een beetje denken aan So Flute van St Germain, redelijk relaxte loungemuziek. Het is allemaal niet per se slecht gedaan ofzo, maar het voelt zo ontzettend 13 in een dozijn. En bovendien is dit niet mijn genre muziek, dus ik kan hier moeilijk veel plezier aan beleven. Het tweede, dancegedeelte is wat fijner om te luisteren, maar ik kom nog steeds niet verder dan een vergeetbare 2 sterren.
Vaguely satisfying music but sort of mindnumbing, I can hardly remember what I just listened to Perhaps there is merit to this album if your favorite drink is water
Nellee Hooper's production style defined the sound of 90's more mainstream styles of electronica, like downtempo and trip-hop. This album, however, despite probably being what introduced Hooper to the wider music world, barely gives indication of any of that influence. While Hooper's work with Massive Attack or Björk still sounds fresh, albeit a bit of its time, this album sounds incredibly dated, and not in charming way. I'm sure the reason this sounds so basic it because a lot of artists were influenced by it, but I don't really see the reason to come back here. Key tracks: Fairplay
This was… not great. Apart from three (entirely unnecessary) iterations of the one hit, the rest of the album was really nothing to write home about.
This was... fine. Pretty mellow dance music that has a decent beat and a couple catchy songs but nothing real special about it.
Weird
Same issue I have had with all these techno dance albums: repetition. The songs are too long with not enough variety in each individual songs and for this one between each different song as well. 4/10
The actual debut album is much better
Cool but not my thing.
I am an electronic music guy, so i was pleased with what first seemed to be a classic house album. Unfortunately it was more R&B and overall quite low energetic, i have the feeling this did not age very well, compared to todays standards.
As charming as it is to hear an album from the 80s where someone emcees in a thick Caribbean North London accent, the songs really lack the groove and drive to really get me moving. I wouldn't have lasted long in the Fridge. The production is thumping, and at least it has Back to Life... just not the one you remember.
Unfortunately not a very interesting, nor compelling dance album. Paper thin beats, duplicate songs, and just the teaser "Back to Life" - apparently the expanded remix was a B-side? Really could be a bit more impressive. 2/5
Really close to a 1 but not quite there. Totally bland , no highlights
Good, just not for me
Good to have something different. Definitely more soul than dance.
eh ja. 2 highlights (die singles), und der rest der gleich tönt wie erstere.
Für Discomusik ganz akzeptabel
The first 2 tracks were good. The rest of the record fell into the descent territory. The sound wasn't for me. Favourite Track(s): Keep On Movin' Least Favourite Track(s): Feeling Free, African Dance
Other than the hits was a little nothingness
It was ok, I don’t really know the genre well but nothing grabbed me. Felt more like background music than club classics.
Below average for me. I like Afrobeats and house, but this feels like kid stuff in comparison to what came before (Fela Kuti) and what has come afterward (too many to choose from, but WizKid comes to mind first). The end of the 80s produced a lot of boring beats, in hip hop and dance music especially.
Fun, but repetitive. I was itching for the next song but then didn’t really notice the shifts. I liked some songs individually but as a whole this was a little too much of the same thing
This hasn't aged well, and with the exception of one track feels very disposable.
1. Repetitive beat and lyrics. Not horrible, but not my thing. Nice piano. 2. Really don't like the vocals. 3. No bad, but wouldn't listen again. 4. Feel like I've heard this one before, not sure where. 5. Don't like 90s preprogrammed beats or flute. 6. Same song as song 5 but with vocals. No. 7. Fast, distracting vibration in vocals. Ugh. No. 8. Too much dead space. I understand needing to breath, but too much. 9. I've heard this. Will Neff. Good. Wouldn't be an everyday listen. 10. Continuation from last song. Changed up a little. Talking. 11. Not bad if your in a 90s dance rap mood. 12. Liking the accapella moments off this album more than anything. Good song. Feel like I've also heard it before. Songs that stood the test of time. 13. Heard before. Definitely been an earworm in the past. 14. Decent instrumental. 15. Different version of song 12. "However do you want me..." mash up of previous songs. 16. Don't like the samples. Annoying. 3/10 Would likely never listen again. Not my thing.
Meh. I don’t want to go back to life. (Back to reality.)
Siento que no escuché nada novedoso, siguieron bien el estilo de música pero siento que no se destacaron en ningún tema, fueron temas genéricos sin nada trascendental
Это было… Очень вайбово, но очень будто бы невыразительно. Лучшая песня - Back To Life.
aika laimeaksi jäävä r'n'b-setti. 2/5
So I've got a history of finding R&B painfully dull, but I'll give this a shot. NOPE this hurts. Ouch. Back To Life is just good enough to rescue it from the one star pit of despair, but I DO. NOT. ENJOY. R&B.
not in 5001
Took me back to my late teens. Not my style. But some iconic songs. Hopefully the last time I ever hear some of them.
kjedelig
I liked the songs sung by the women, the man rapping/singing wasnt my thing. Its a british thing, innit?
Club Classics is an appropriate title as it feels like someone messing around as a DJ. Pretty cool beats and the bass work is really good. But this collection is super basic and the iconic Back To Life is not even on the original release in the single version everyone knows. When that song hit the world lit on fire. It's so good, but it's not here except as an acapella song.
A little better than some of the other electronic albums cause of the vocals. Still not really my thing though. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
Don’t appreciate the genre-style
not my kind of soul
Alright. Couple good tunes.
Back to Life is a pretty solid track, but the rest was pretty dull. If I could have gone back in time, I'd tell the producer that they should feature Caron Wheeler on every track, and no track should be longer than 3:30.
The challenge with this album is that it doesn't make a convincing case for its own genre. Musically, its fine, but as I develop a stronger appreciation for R&B, I don't get why it is special.
I'm sure some people like this, but it's not for me. For having "soul" in their name, this felt oddly soulless to me.
It's OK, but I'm not suitably impressed or interested.
Most of it was ok, but I had to skip too many of the more annoying for it to be highly rated. Back to Life (However Do You Want Me) slaps though.
I feel like if this was the "1,001 albums that would play well in a 80s and 90s dance club to dance to before you die" This album would be high on the list. But this is getting away from being a good album as a whole. I feel like this is a "one hit wonder" kind of album, with Back to Life, and the original studio album doesn't even include the version we all heard everywhere and saw on MTV. I spent a lot of time in 1989 watching MTV. When these kind of songs came on, It really wasn't my thing, some were fun and some I would tune out. But I went in with an open mind, enjoyed African Dance, Back to Life from the bonus tracks, and the end of the album. Is it just me or in Jazzie's Groove and Ambition, does Jazzie B just not start sounding like Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords after awhile. Sorry, but that is all I could picture at the end.
I don't know what it is about the 80's, and especially 80's soul. It just kinda washes over me. It's like a Thomas Kinkade painting, appropriately also very 80's. It's competent, comforting, and appealing, but ultimately manufactured and soulless. Huh. I just called soul soulless. I stand by it.
Not really my jam. Back to Life is the only song I had heard before this listen. The rest was pretty generic to me.
Mix tape style, not for me
we have different interpretations of a club classic
There's not much I found interesting about this one. The beats / backing tracks are repetitive and boring. There's some good singers on here but they aren't given much to work with lyrically. I can hear the influence that this had on later acts like Massive Attack. The production is good. Ultimately I found this dull and it just isn't something I would choose to listen to again.
Amazing, I didn't realize how boring you can make soul. Back To Life was the only song that was a bit more interesting. However, I never really liked it. 2/5
2.5 - Meh
One or two good songs does not a good album make.
too fabricated to me ;/
Boring
More like, Club Classics, there’s only one.
They were very popular when I was in junior high. I didn't like them then. I still don't. I prefer songs with more than 2 chords. Favorite song: back to life
What club is playing these classics?
Not a huge fan of this. I think it has moments where you kinda get lost in a trance, but I think it's primarily because it's boring. There were some shining moments throughout the album, but not anything you couldn't find better somewhere else. I would skip the GTA radio station if one of these songs came on unless I was in an interesting mood. I liked Happiness and Jazzie's Groove 2/5
Dance sounds like flight of the concords which I found amusing. If I were in a club in the early 90s then maybe this wouldn’t have been as boring and monotonous, but I’m not so it was. Also what is going on with track names on this album? We get Dance and African Dance? Feeling free and feel free?
It's fine R&B but I could not have needed to hear this album less. This could have been a clean 1000 albums instead. Honestly this could have been like, 300 albums but whatever.
Unnecessary. Aside from Back to Life and African Dance this was completely forgettable.
Wasn't great. I guess Back to Life is ok.
The only Soul II Soul song I know is “Back to Life (However Do You Want Me),” which sadly isn’t on this album. However, if that’s any indication for how this album is going to sound, then I think I’m going to be in for a pretty fun experience on Club Classics. Well, that was certainly an experience. There really wasn’t much that I enjoyed on this album. The beats and production work weren’t really very interesting or unique in my opinion. The rhythm was somewhat fun to groove along to, but I didn’t feel like Soul II Soul left much of a unique fingerprint on these sounds. These songs were a bit on the longer side, and I felt like most of the songs just dragged on for too long. I couldn’t find any personnel credits for this album (I didn’t put a ton of effort into that search), but I really didn’t care for the male vocalist at all. I thought I was going to enjoy “Holdin’ On,” but as soon as the vocals kicked in, I lost interest. The album did have a few bright spots though: “Feel Free,” “Happiness,” and “Back To Life.” “Feel Free” had a good rhythm to it, and it was one of the more fun songs to groove along to. The bass line was fun, and the vocals were good too. The piano on “Happiness” was excellent, and it was one of the few songs on this album that I thought justified its runtime. The vocals and atmosphere on “Back to Life” were great. Even though I’m not familiar with this version of the song, I thought it was really good. The echo on the vocals created an icy atmosphere that made it really stand above these other songs. I loved when the bass and percussion kicked in towards the end of the song. Even though there were three songs that I thought were good, the rest of the album was enough of a clunker to earn a two-star rating from me. This album may have been big for dance music, but it’s not for me.
Wow, boring. Listen to “Back To Life” and skip the rest. Easy-listening hip hop.
Better than I initially feared. Those Jazzie B beats are quite funky. I don't see myself visiting this at any point though. Not really my jam.
Eh.
Not bad background music, but probably not something I'd revisit.
honestly just kinda bland forgettable funk/R&B. nothing stuck out at all
Back To Life is killer, the rest is filler.
Boring.