Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Decent album. If I haven't been sober, the album would have had higher rating for sure
4.5
Very eclectic almost classic rock/ modern pscychedelic
This was weird. And not weird-good, but maybe, possibly, weird-interesting, provided many listens, which I just didn't have the heart for yesterday. The first song I though I truly kinda liked by this album turned out to be the Apple Music auto-play of another artist after this album ended. This is better than 50 Cent though--I think I will forever regret giving that album 2 stars.
How is there not yet an emoji for a wet fart? I realize a literal image would be problematic, but something cultural, along of the likes of how the anodyne eggplant is now forever a dong. #itstime Anyways, I need one for this album. I classify it under the hood of English Lout-Lad Rock, a genre that started around the time of the Rolling Stones, but I’m sure lives on today. I reckon that louty lads especially had a day around the mid-aughts: Kasabian, The Streets, and I guess The Coral, though this is the first I’ve heard of them. +1 star for the reasonably cool harmonies, which season these bland shouty songs with a little sea shanty saltiness. Alas, I thought this was a great new discovery, but 🍑💦💨
Good mix
Absolutely inexplicable.
Pleasantly surprised
Didn't know this band/album. Quite surprised me in a good way, but lacked the quality to get to a fourth star
It’s fine. Nothing special. A few cool songs. Not for me but I’ll give it 3
01) Spanish Main - 6,5 02) I Remember When - 7,0 03) Shadows Fall - 7,5 04) Dreaming of You - 9,0 05) Simon Diamond - 7,5 06) Goodbye - 8,0 07) Waiting for the Heartaches - 7,0 08) Skeleton Key - 6,0 09) Wildfire - 7,5 10) Bad Man - 7,0 11) Calendars and Clocks - 7,5 TOTAL: 7,32 (73/100) Current ranking: 345/726
Was not really what I expected it to be, but that also didnt mean that I enjoyed it too much.
Carnival-y
Some great stuff. Dreaming Of You obviously an all time classic. It's not their best album though, and I doubt I'll put it on again. Thought about a 4 but I don't think it deserves it.
Surprisingly really good. Fun energy, good hooks and guitar lines
I remember these kinds of bands a lot in the 90s. I think the one that did it the best was Mano Negra. As for The Coral, the mix of styles is interesting and it’s well played and recorded but for me it sounds a little stilted and a bit too clever for its own good as if trying to win over a conservative audience in a friendly way which they no doubt did. This is good but for me is not essential listening. Personally I’m not sure that I would ever need to listen to this again however I might play this to a group of the right people at a party if they were somewhat adventurous but conservative listeners.
Some cool sounds from this obscure (to me) band from across the pond, but otherwise a forgettable album. Not sure what makes this list-worthy, similar to several other generic British bands that seem ever-present on this list.
2.8
I loved so many of the songs on this one, I am really impressed by some of the lesser known tracks. I don't feel like it was on the level of the other 5 stars but it was close in my opinion. Might come back to this one again. 4.4
🤷♂️
British Rock
I usually love psychedelic music but this was not it for me. Kinda boring and not really something I haven’t heard before.
Very 1960s and very Liverpool. Bearing in mind I don’t care too much for either then this is pretty listenable. Obvious influences mentioned by other reviewers so I won’t bother. Nothing on it I didn’t like.
Hook filled, kind of spooky British rock which owes a debt to the doors
Blind album and artist. Loved how it started, but got the end dragged for me.
I like it better than the rating suggests but I can’t give it higher than a three as it isn’t exactly life changing. But it’s good.
Day665 - perhaps i will listen to more of the coral. they were a pleasant surprise from the early two thousands
Meh
This started slow but as the music got progressively more unusual I enjoyed it more. There's a lot going on musically even if most of it is really simple. 3.0/5.0: Good
nothing groundbreaking but an interesting listen. to me they sound like an indie version of the doors.
I enjoyed this one! Not particularly significant but good music in my opinion. 3.5 rounded to 4.
Just started to get on my nerves before I was finished with the album. Not good.
This is a debut album from the British rock band The Coral. The album was released in 2002, but most of it (except for “Skeleton Key” which was more of a 2000s sound) seems like it could have been from the 1960s-70s. Overall the album exceeded my expectations so it gets four stars.
This Britpop sounds way too much like Ameri-rock. I guess it's OK. Maybe a few more listens would improve it, so I'll give it a 3. The middle third of the album is definitely the strongest third. Highlight: 'Dreaming of You'
Some unexpectedly good tracks very strong overall
Oh, yeah, I remember Dreaming of You. Nice song. Quite fun album. I like the inclusion of the melodica.
Enjoyable but nothing amazing.
5/5
Is it terrible? No. Is it interesting or remarkable in any way to justify its inclusion? Also no. There's some decent tracks, and some annoying ones. I like Nuggets too, but this isn't doing anything interesting with the sound. My guess is it was one of the critics' introduction to psych rock and they remember it fondly. Ditch this and add some tame impala
Another one I own but had forgotten about .. it was fine.
= The Beatles
This what happens when someone good at Karaoke is off-handedly told they could start a band but takes it way too seriously and only bloody goes and does it, but just stole a bunch of songs from those compilations put out by record labels that scour the third world for obscure Peruvian cumbia synthpop, Zambian circus psych, or Balkan disco jazz vinyl to re-release.
3.75-I enjoyed the first half better than the second.
Y'a pas une musique que j'avais pas écouté pour moi c'est classique honnêtement
NO way tro bi1
Pas mauvais pas excellent non plus mais c'était une bonne expérience pas marquante
not bad, cool sound
bit too fantastical for my liking i think, it kinda sounds like theyre trying to make sea shantys, flat 7
What is this style? Gypsy rock? I like the harmonies and instrumentation, the time changes and the vibe on the whole. It’s has a bit too many mundane rock elements for me still. Not bad though!
Not bad.
Fine but why
emblematic of a time when british guitars got way too jangly again, no THANK you.
Remarkably forgettable sorry
Enjoyable, everything was played very well, enjoyed all the songs.
Vocal harmonies aren't a substitute for writing a song that doesn't fucking suck. This band seems like the most annoying kids you went to school with.
Good
Never heard of these guys, but I enjoyed this quite a bit. I pictured They Might Be Giants singing British Invasion psychedelic rock with a punk band. There's a lot of playfulness here, but there's enough musicianship to be entertaining.
Man, the critics in England really loved the early 00s rock bands that managed to write one radio-friendly hit. I found this pretty bland, and most of it really grated on my nerves (insert clever quip about the Coral not making me wait for the heartaches.) The first half of this album sucked. The back half of this album *really* sucked. “Dreaming of You” is still catchy, but in that Gap-Ad kind of way (that didn’t stop it from getting stuck in my head all damn night.)
A bit to poppy for my liking, but otherwise showed potential.
Great Scouse sound, enjoyed this a lot.
This was a fun discovery; it was my first time hearing it and there’s a lot to digest. A unique sound that sort of reminded me of The Doors. While it has some of that 60s psych jangle, there’s many other styles to explore here - a lot of variety on this album that makes it difficult to box into a single genre of rock. I’ll be giving this more listens. A 3 rating seems fair and I’m not surprised to read this was bumped off the list in later editions, but it’s a strong 3 for me.
Wildly derivative of various (great) sounds of yesteryear, but full of joy and musical talent. A very solid three stars
A bunch of pop songs with varying influences, not badly made but I'm left wondering 'why'? Does not feel like an album. Dreaming of You is radio-friendly and some other songs are fine but none wows me in the least. A generous 3.
Total shite
Good but not great. Dreaming of you stands out a mile as the best track but did still enjoy the rest
Yeah I can see why they are a one hit wonder
Didn't have time to review this when I listened to it the first time, but I remember being very pleasantly surprised. So listened again not so surprising this time but equally if not increasingly enjoyable. What was surprising though was that the track which was vaguely familiar, that I took to be the single, was one of the least enjoyable ones. I remember thinking after the first listen that I'd give it a healthy 3. But having gone through it a second time I find myself revising that. So 4 it is, yes I really liked it.
If you like superficial fun then this is the band for you. Apart from the big hit, this offered absolutely nothing and I have no idea why it’s even here.
Better than expected. I shall have to have a few listens to decide whether I really liked it. Its got a bit of psychedelia and a folky vibe in places, and that is what I find a bit difficult to work out whether its my thing or not.
So far it seems quite nice. Feels polka-like in a way. I'm not quite sure what genre it is, maybe 2000s indie rock? Right now I'm thinking a 4. It's a strong start for sure
8/10
They draw from a wide range of ’60s bands for their sound, which works well. The problem is that it can feel disjointed at times and not as cohesive as it could be. Still, it’s an enjoyable listen overall and I might need to revisit this one.
Good psychedelic rock. Occasionally the singer had a bit of a Jim Morrison thing going on. I’d definitely listen to this again.
Good not great. Listenable but not worth the re-listen.
Never heard this before but enjoyed it a lot. Will listen to this one again. Not sure if this is the "return of rock" the critics thought it was, but it was good.
What the fuck is this?
This was a surprise. The cover didn't raise my hopes for an interesting album, and since I hadn't heard of this band before, I went in with low expectations. I was hooked from the first song. I really enjoyed this album.
Scratching my head over how this ended up on this list. It’s not a bad album per se but it extremely forgettable generic “alt rock”. It’s not Kid Rock bad though so I’ll give it two stars. 2/10
Eh. 2.5
I was surprised by this album honestly.
I was not previously familiar with the artist or album before listening, however "Dreaming of You" seemed familiar to me. This is a pretty cool album. It is kind of indie/alt rock but touches on a lot of genres in the process. A lot of it was pretty catchy. I liked this and would definitely listen to this again.
I've never heard of these guys, but they are great! Definitely will check out more of them.
I like the Coral. Dreaming of You is one of my favourite songs. I wouldn't say the rest of the album was quite on the same level but it had something about it. More ska influence than I was expecting.
that was such a fun album!
Well rounded album with a nice sea vibe
A lot of influences and genres mashed together here, mostly successfully, which is remarkable. I didn't love this music but it's a very interesting wander, there's something new to hear every few bars each song. It's kind of like walking through an exhibition or something, taking in each display, then moving on. Good, but ephemeral, I don't think this will be one I'll revisit.
He has a better voice than I remember
Fine but not worthy of a revisit
It was kind of interesting and different. 2.5
Honestly one of the most unnecessary and insulting inclusions in the list.
It's OK, but stinks of red stripe
Earnest. Dull.
I think I felt second-hand embarrassment from listening to this. People took this album seriously? “Universal acclaim” says Wikipedia. I can put an article about my ass on Wikipeida and say it had critical acclaim and it would feel just as accurate. It’s almost a bunch of sea shanties that were written by a circus. It feels like it’s trying to be almost every genre at once, but can’t do any of them right. Is it Britpop? Is it psychedelic? Who knows? Who cares. Thank god this shit only clocks in at over a half-hour. Favorite track: Goodbye Other hits: …I cannot name another song I liked
This is actually not too shabby. I was half expecting some run of the mill "lads causing havoc in Tesco, great banter innit" album, but this is much more psychedelic and nuanced than that. There is some genuinely decent 70s throwback style riffage here, combined with the off-kilter energy of British indie and almost sea-shanty like glockenspiel. The problem for me is that it doesn't breach the threshold between "decent" and "great" often enough to be an experience that I'd actively seek out again. It's consistently very listenable, interesting at points even, but it doesn't really get me off my seat.
não faz muito meu estilo mas gostei da melodia
Mixed feelings. Not at all memorable, and not even something I will want to listen ever again, still it was not a "wasted time listening". It has its moments, and it is a good interpretation/tribute to an aesthetic that, in 2002, was long gone, even though it actually infuses it with some ska and romani-punk approaches. Would give it a 2.5 if there were half points
Pretty good album.
Don't get the "hate" in the top reviews. There are way worse albums on this list. It's not amazing either.
Groupe inconnu. Album qui s’apparente à du reggae/ska qui part avec un très fort désavantage. Et bien je n’ai vraiment pas apprécié, et ce dès les premiers morceaux. Rien de créatif ni original, je me suis vite ennuyé. Et rien ne m’a permis de remonter la note. =>1/5
3/10
These are the moments when I really love this project. I've never heard of this band before. Their music is exactly my taste. I'll definitely listen to it again. 5/5
Basically this is modern psychedelic music. They took some rock, indie and techno vibes but made a 70's psychedelic album in the early 2000's. I am not really sure they did anything new and interesting with it. I don't think it was as disjointed as a 70's trip, like maybe they micro dosed their way through the album so it could stay coherent and connected. Not sure they are going to be a band I search out but it wasn't bad.
This is pretty good! I especially like the vocals (lots of good harmonies) and the guitar work. Instrumentation is good. Xylophone, horns, & bongos make guest appearances but the common thread is the cool surf-rock style guitar through it all. Some songs remind me 60's psychelica (the incense and peppermint kind). Others like I Remember When and Bad Man have a kind of funky vibe. I especially like how they are able to work a song by slowing it down and then kicking it back up.
Super fun discovery! Loved how catchy and rockin' this all was, and really creative instrumentation and song structures too.
3-
Not for me.
This is an unusual cocktail. At its core, this has the bones of early aughts coke-snot rock, a la Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, etc, but instead of drawing an aesthetic from the Lou Reed / Television NYC art scum world, this band instead takes their style (at least to my ears) from 60s re-hashers like Trip Shakespeare, Dukes of Straosphear, and the whole Paisley Underground set, with some extremely direct nods to origin acts like the Doors, the Byrds, and improbably, quite a bit of Beefheart. It's hard for me to read this as anything but kitschy pastiche, and I have to wonder who, apart from the band members, was interested in this exact stylistic collision... but the they do go at it with some gusto, and they keep things in a well-defined space with an overall nautical theme to the lyrics and a tremolo-drenched guitar sound. Good for them, I guess.
Not that great.
Like I didn’t love it but this thing went quick 3/5
I see a lot of hate in the comments. I don't understand it. Indy rock with a sixties movie soundtrack vibe. Great attention to detail. There's a lot going on in the background. The Arctic Monkeys must have heard this and failed miserably at sounding like it (and somehow still got way more popular). Favorite song: skeleton key
ok album
2nd artist in this journey where I'm confident I'd never heard anything from them before. This may be pretty harsh — it feels like a really talented cover band decided to release an album based on their group playlist of top 40 from the previous 4 decades. It felt like they watched Austin Powers before walking into the studio and wanted to capture that in sound, along with some reggae and ska tones. A few of the songs were fun, but it felt disjointed as an album listening experience — like hitting shuffle on some genre-spanning indie playlist — and that made me think of an album like Picaresque. That album from The Decemberists came a few years after this while successfully combining broad influences into a cohesive storytelling journey that I could listen to on repeat.
OK Musik - festlig men lidt ensformigt
Really enjoyed this one, listened a couple of times in a row.
Energetic Enthusiastic Forgetful
Consistent album, no real stand out tracks. Enjoyed all the same.
The first 4 tracks are tremendous, rip-roaring, riotous, joyful. 5* Then Simon Diamond comes in with inane lyrics and it's a bunch of mediocare fare after that. As an overall album it probably only deserves a 2
Hmmm... It was ok until it got very pirate-y. And I'm really into pirate music outside of Pirates of the Caribbean.
1/10
Nett
Der eine Hit, ja gut, sonst hat es mir aber nicht so gefallen
Never heard of them. The Coral are a solid band. I would be happy if I saw them at my local. But not 1001
Favorite Track: I Remember When
I get a little worried whenever one of these albums is from some post-2000 rock band that I have never heard of, because there has to be a good reason why that is so. Now having heard one of their albums, if I never hear from them again I would be okay with that.
It's an easy listen. It's not bad for what it is. Didn't mind it while listening. OK that's the positive. It’s the sum total of absolutely nothing new, amalgamation of what they had in their record collection, which is how everyone starts but this does it without going anywhere different and just ends up sounding derivative. A good bar band, the new thing for the kids at the time, not essential 20 years on. It's an OK album, it is but that it, just feels like we have to meet quota from the 2000’s to say rocks just as relavant. Further reading indicates Mercury prize nomination and next big thing with the critics which explains a lot, and from this list so far is almost an immediate point reduction 2.5Star
Not bad, but felt like I'd heard tons of bands with this sound before.
The album started off sounding like Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd which I enjoyed. I thought the album was ok.
Not for me. It’s not bad, just very generic. Don’t really get why this stands out enough to make it on this list.
Damn, can’t believe I missed these guys during my youth. They’re awesome. Really fun listen and they have a new fan here.
This was a fun sound
Just ok
Sneaky good hooks jangley guitar interplay and powerful voice sums it up nicely.
los colegas y yo haciendo un album un miércoles cualquiera se hace duro definitivamente no
A fun little album this. 3.5 stars
Quite liked it!
A few decent hits.
Pretty much total crap but at least it was short.
not my least favourite, but certainly the least worthy of the list. who cares about this
An unknown and ordinary band. Some good vocal and good arrangements.
Huh, struggling in the 21st century. However, when I was a lovesick dude in my twenties the one scene in scrubs where JD and Eliot get back together at Christmas was soundtracked by Dreaming of You which remains a monster cut. Impossible to separate from nostalgia.
I like what they are going for with the psychedelic edge and other wee touches but overall there is nothing about this that would make me want to listen again. A pleasant listen though (is this what’s called damning with faint praise?)
Oooh, another album I'd never heard of before that really works well for my brain. Excellent. This sort of thing is why I signed up for this project in the first place.
It was okay—quirky in a way that didn’t fully click with me. Some songs had good music, but overall it wasn’t really to my liking.
Fortsatt gøyal. Det enkle er ofte det beste.
Only OK!
Fannst þetta frekar slöpp plata
Ekki skemmtilegt.
Peculiar Scouse psychedelic pirate musichall klezmer soul. Excellent
So mixed. An album for all moods.
Wow, what was I doing in 2002? Well, in retrospective, I was a neo hippy punk on dope, drowned in the rave and clubbing scene of Amsterdam in the late nineties. A perilous time of illegal substitutes abuse, expanding horizons, and never ending nights, so no wonder that this album never came to my attention. Now in my fifties, with my feet on the ground but my head still in the clouds, I've got to say, this record was a pleasant surprise. From Mersey beat to East coast and Brit-pop psychedelia to middle Eastern influences, what an eclectic album! I generally enjoyed it, and will add this to my collection, ready to spin again. 5/5!
All over the place. Some good, some bad, some weird. Not memorable.
I liked that. 4 stars. Need to investigate further.
# 547 : The Coral by The Coral The Coral – Psychedelia on Training Wheels Short, sweet, and mildly psychedelic, The Coral is like dipping your toes into a kaleidoscope. It’s got neo-psychedelia, folk rock, and a frontman who sounds like he borrowed his voice from a vintage rock museum. Interesting? Sure. Memorable? Not really. They’ve done a decent job, and “Remember When” stands out as the best of the bunch. But overall, it’s the kind of album you’re glad you heard once—and equally glad you don’t need to hear again. Verdict: Three stars for effort. One listen is plenty. If you have to listen to this, look out for : Remember When Listened : 15/08/2025
One in a Million. Anhörbar, ohne besondere Highlights.
first listen, liked this group, could imagine them playing in a club and getting everyone in a good vibe
This was never at any point boring or uninteresting. For that alone I'm giving it a 4. it helps though that a bunch of these songs kick ass and Dreaming Of You is a classic.
Decent.
Started ok and then really annoyed me. Lucky to get 2.
It wasn't horrible. It wasn't good. It wasn;t unique. It wasn't groudbreaking. And it wasn't something I want to hear again.
Album 864 of 1089 The Coral - The Coral (2002) Rating : 3 / 5 Really enjoyed this one. It brought to mind Tom Waits (only certain years) and a bit of Captain Beefheart (only his good stuff) , but on a much more controlled level. Up-tempo rocking tunes with a dash of uniqueness, and honestly, it’s music that doesn’t really need a label. You get surf-rock twang one minute, a touch of psych-pop the next, and the whole thing has this off-kilter charm without ever going too far off the rails. Standouts like “Dreaming of You” and “Shadows Fall” stick with you long after, and the band’s knack for melody keeps the weirdness accessible. Whatever you’d call it, it’s a fun, engaging listen from start to finish. One of those pleasant surprises.
Driving British post-punk that sounds like a precursor to Arctic Monkeys and The Bravery. I’d listen to it if it came on the radio. I don’t think I’d pay to see these songs performed live.
Kinda boring
I saw a review here about how Brits are tone deaf for stealing music from colonies. It's good to remember that we did that with 2-tone music, whose bands were formed of a mix of Brits and Jamaicans, vocally anti-racist, and used their success to promote support for the Jamaican communities of Britain. This isn't one of those cases, and is just shit.
First listen
This singer kinda sounds like Neil Diamond. Other than that, terrible album on a terrible list.
About as hectic as I anticipated from the album. There's some old timey influences there, but not really my thing.
Never heard of this group. Album was durorusingky good
I'd never heard of The Coral. This album is chaotic and not in a great way. Did they steal the guitar riff on "Goodbye" from Disney's It's A Small World? The early aughts were a wild time.
Okay album I guess? Listened to it yesterday and once again cannot remember it.
An unexpected blend of early aughts alt rock and late 60s psychedelic folk. The end result is periodically entertaining. But not entertaining enough to round up from 2.5*.
Loads of fun, and they have the creative ability to change things up even within a song. Some 60’s rock, some psychedelic, some British ska; maybe not a true 5, but worth rounding up.
3.5*? I think I need to give this one another listen with headphones, instead of in the car. It sounded interesting, I think.
I liked this…some good songs. Didn’t blow my mind but a relatively pleasant listen
Quite liked this one tbh
Beboppin good time! The overall sound is upbeat, fantastic summer album.
8'5/10
Really good, interesting, original sound. I think more people should hear this band
Not great
Had t heard of them but was very suprised. Some great tunes on this
it's not baddddd but it's not top 1001?? This has maybe one very good song...
Dreaming of You is good, the rest of the album fails to live up to it. More interesting than your typical 2000s album though, and much shorter too
Dreaming Of You is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Simpsons: No
Average.
Though this was going to be better than it was. Dreaming of you is obviously a classic, but I think my favourite track has to be Simon Diamond
One of the most 3 star albums I’ve ever 3ed
Aggressively average 2000's British rock music. Also, 1001albumsgenerator conspiracy theory. Two 5/5 ratings for this with identical reviews. Different profiles for each. Is it a computer glitch? Did someone simply decide they liked the other review and copy/paste it? Are The Corals are trying to game the system and boost their 1001 albums rating? Or is it a British psyop to try and convince the world that Brit rock isn't just the same 5 songs over and over? Maybe this entire list is British propaganda.
Highlight Song/s: I Remember When, Shadows Fall and Dreaming of You What a surreal sound this album has, this might be love at first sight (or listen.) It has such a nice combination of the piratey/sea shanty feel and that garage rock revival sound to it. The novelty did start to run out with that last handful of songs. And if I had to pick a track to delete, It would be 'Skeleton Key'.
3.5
I knew one Coral song before listening to this. I wish that remained the case.
Loved the song “Goodbye” and I also liked “Dreaming of You” but unfortunately the rest of the album didn’t really click with me. I didn’t like the ska and sea shanty elements.
Yay another 00's era, one-off, br*tish rock group no one has ever heard of, surely this time I'll be blown away... Yeah, a little bland. Definitely could have died without hearing this one. Basically a bunch of songs tailor-made for car commercials and The Hangover-style comedies. Not horrendous or anything but just...boring and commercial.
all I remembered was Spanish man... but i think this was a good album
You know sometimes I get an album like this and I just really don't think it's important enough for the top 1001 albums. Even if I like it, I do not think this is a truly necessary album. That said, this is still a nice little album. I enjoyed my time with it, though it kinda dragged. 69/100
This gives off internet-age vibes, sort of like the kind of music someone mostly on Tumblr would listen to back in 2013, which is impressive considering this came out a decade prior, however that circus music-esque design just sounds goofy, especially when paired with a garage rock-lite sound. It has its moments of solid melodies where everything comes together, but then the singer will decide to make his voice sound like gravel, or they'll repeat the same lyric over and over, and it'll get tiring quickly. It isn't a bad album, it blows by pretty quickly, but there's nothing special here, or if there is, its buried under layers of mid.
Some of this is interested. I expected more of a generic garage rock sound, but was somewhat surprised by the bits of psychedelia, sea shanties, circus music, etc. mixed in. It's never too weird to stray from commercial palatability, which is where it fails in my opinion - it's just too middle of the road to be truly interesting.
Solid middle of the road rating for this one. A couple catchy songs, several wtf songs, and the rest just mediocre.
Really not a fan of this
Some nice sounds and many of the songs couls easily fit on the playlists I listen to. However, I felt that a lot of the songs gave of an air of self importance, bordering on arrogance that the quiality of the product didn't warrant. I dodnt think this one is for me. 2.5 but will round up to 3.
42 minutes of pure ear-grating material and yet I still cannot bring myself to give it a 1/5 because I know there are worse... much worse... in the days to come. Still, not a fan!
Ok… unique sound
I was considering a very generous 3. Then came a concluding track who's lyric ends by repeating 14 times, a chorus of 'Calendar & Clocks & Hickory Docks (Tick Tock)'. I guess it's meant to be hypnotic - trust me, it ain't.
It’s alright. Probably wouldn’t listen again
Yeah it’s not groundbreaking, but it’s an ecclectic mix of music that did quite well on a friday afternoon on the beach. 3/5
In university halls circa 2002, if the dreamy tones of Bill Ryder-Jones' guitar licks, James Skelly's doleful tones or Paul Duffy's infectious 'Dreamin Of You' bassline weren't seeping through the hallways at any given moment, something was seriously wrong. This is a fantastic whistle-stop tour that never sits still for too long. It lurches from psych-rock to sea shanty via indie folk while sounding like the whole band is having a great time and totally in sync. And that's just Skeleton Key. The combination of youthful experimentation, bold and varied influences, and having some damn fine musicians in the band made this a hugely promising debut overall and they were outstanding live at the time as well. What's crazy about The Coral is that you could hear such a high ceiling of potential even in this wonderful, eclectic debut that it always felt like they had an even greater masterpiece in them just waiting to come out. Maybe it's time we stop waiting for that and accept that what we got in those early days was indeed them at their confident, inspired best. It was a tragedy that Bill stepped aside after a few albums because he was both a creative force and technical genius in the six-string department but clearly he wasn't happy in his role and has, luckily for us, forged a mighty fine solo career since.
I've never heard of The Coral or this album before. I really don't know what to expect from this album based on what I'm reading about it in user reviews, and Wikipedia isn't much help either. However, Spotify says that fans of The Coral also like The Libertines (meh) and The Dandy Warhols (cool), so maybe this will be right up my alley! This is one Coral I wouldn't mind going extinct. There's a lot happening on this album when it comes to the inspirations for their sound. The sound that stood out the most to me is what I can only describe as 'maritime/pirate,' which really didn't land with me. Granted, they didn't really go whole-hog into that sound, but I don't think doing that would have saved this album either. The musicianship was fine, but it just wasn't much there that I really wanted to hear. The unique parts of The Coral's sound was pretty undesirable to me, and the parts that weren't that unique weren't very attention grabbing. This album is indicative of what happens when you do a lot of different things, and you don't do any of those things particularly well. The singles off this album were easily the best songs, but while I enjoyed them in the moment, I found them pretty forgettable, and I don't think I'd recognize them if I heard them again. I don't really understand why this album was on the list at one point, but I'm happy to see that it was removed in future editions.
Had never heard of this, and I’m only like three songs in but I’m really enjoying it so far. This got progressively weirder but in a fun way. Would listen again.
Ojämnt, men topparna är riktigt bra. Väldigt spretigt, saknar tydlig linje. Trea
That second song is insaaaane. Love the energy on here and how absolutely teeming with psychedelia all these indie rock bangers are. Dreaming of You 🤍 7+
Maybe I'm just going crazy, but this is not what I was advertised. Like, it's fine as is, but there is a certain quirkiness present on here that I couldn't really gel with all that much.
Jaunty rock, but it feels shallow. Definitely a unique sound, but it doesn't feel interesting or exciting.
Fun, but much better first half than second.
Felt like there was a lot of exploration but in different directions and as it was a short album, it didn't have a strong centre.
I didn't really work out the band or the album's identity - stylised 70s concept, 00s rock, comic rock??? If there was one thing they'd gone all in with along the lines of the stronger songs I'd have got it's inclusion. That said a couple of the stronger songs are good - low 3
The best parts are a 60s garage rock pastiches. Overall though this is still filed under landfill indie in my mind
No coherence, just a couple of good songs.
I feel bad because The Choral are putting a lot into this album to add flavour, to titillate, to entertain, but because I’m not wowed by the core ingredients it ultimately adds up to a boring listening experience for me. There are gorgeous guitar licks here and there, but there’s tepid guitar chords too, paired with plodding bass lines. No amount of unexpected sea shanty harmonies can solve that for me. There’s then Dreaming of You, gleaming from the middle of a beige tracklist, so obvious in its brilliance. It’s a finely crafted piece of pop which has earned every second of its airtime.
The Coral get the lowest 3 from me, pipped above the highest 2 because some of the psych influenced tracks are great.
This is one of those records I’d heard the single off of a million times, absolutely loved, and yet never listened to the album. It’s ok, but not as good as “Dreaming of you” would suggest
A surprise. When it came out I read it was retro and psychedelic and I was turned off. Was I stupid (again), it’s beautiful! Fav: Skeleton Key
Fun little quirky indie-psychstuff album with a lead vocalist who sometimes sounds a little bit like Billy Joel "Described as a neo-psychedelia and folk rock album, frontman James Skelly's voice was compared to Eric Burdon of the Animals and Jim Morrison of the Doors." Yeah, alright, if you say so, Wikipedia, but also fight me because that's Sometimes-Billy-Joel singing Will the real Billy Joel please stand up?
- gonna give it a 4 because it's not perfect .... it's adventurous and that's worth a lot these days. Solid playing, decent writing but at times obvious .... pretty good stuff. Another unheard band for me to explore. -
It started off good but I lost interest towards the end
After seeing the year the album was released, I was wondering why I'd never heard of them. My guess is the band is British and this was going to be another bland, boring British album. I was mistaken, as it was a little different than the typical boring british bland rock and it wasn't bad. I wouldn't call it required listening though. Dreaming Of You and Waiting for Heartaches were decent tracks but Skeleton Key and Bad Man were super corny and I had to knock the score down. It sounds a little similar to Murder City Devils with the organ. Go listen to them instead.
Interesting, but not essential.
A little tame but not bad at all.
Like a British version of cake time traveled from the 60’s to 2002.
Hadn’t heard of this band before listening to this. I like the way they blend all the elements of bluesfolkpsych rock - “Simon Diamond” sounded like what the Partidge Family might have sounded like if Peter Wolf stood in for David Cassidy… but I digress. Solid and fun and creative throughout - I’ll be checking out more
Wow, I had never really listened to these guys but I loved this album! I had to listen to it twice since I didn't care for it the first time, thinking that they are like a tamer Ween or a less intersting Dukes of Stratosphere. But, on second listen, I appreciated it much more. I love the eclecticism often within one song. He's got a great voice as well. Music discovery is one of the great things about this whole generator thing and I plan on listening to more of these guys.
Another discovery courtesy of the generator, had never heard of this band. Enjoyed this overall, appreciate the vintage Doors vibes. Nothing blew my mind but not a bad listen
zzz...kind of boring and not very good. british rock used to be good. i like the bonus disc better but the entire album is pretty forgettable.
Good
This is the kind of eclectic, mad cap debut album that you think is normally followed by a great sophomore effort once they’ve truly worked out their sound Except that never really happened with The Coral and this is their high water mark (despite a handful of great songs later on) It’s never dull this, but it never quite works. Dreaming of You and Goodbye are great songs though
This was a really fun ride! It made me think of new age circus music! Short and sweet, with catching and interesting songs. My favorite part about the songs is that they change, usually around the halfway mark to something completely different that still works just as well. It really hooked me with it's presentation, purposefully different and proud of it. Favorite songs: I Remember When Shadow Fall
YABA (Yet Another British Album) Ska-ish, kinda fun, but nothing outstanding enough to be on here. Liked it more than expected. 4* Highlights: dreaming of you
a scrubs song - when Elliot and JD hook up
Ah, yes I remember this coming out when I was in university. They were the critics darling and 'Dreaming of You' was a record constantly played in Barfly. Beyond that sentimental nostalgia, this is an incredibly diverse record, which for the most part, is deserving of the hype. They went for the kitchen sink approach, with literally all their influences chucked into the mix. So it's got a bit of everything from garage to psych to folk rock and exotica and you can a touch of Barrett era Floyd, Doors, Beatles, Madness and Gorkys. Listening now, it's still a good listen but I'm not totally convinced by the vocals. But there is much to enjoy on this charming, effervescent record.
A fun album that’s was just a bit different to everything else at the time it was released. Still stands up well today
Every once in a while an album come along that take you by suprise and snogs you behind the bikeshed. I loved this at the time and still do. It's funny weird differnt but funky and engaging. They never managed to pull it off again for some reason.
Dismissed this when it came out, I was in a different musical groove back then. Revisiting it now it's not so bad
A week ago I woke up with, "Up in my lovely room, ooh..." going round my head; Googled it; played it twice. Now the whole album is here. It's surprisingly enjoyable for pop music. I like that it has a good range of styles in it. Dreaming of You is the obvious stand out single, but there's nothing wrong with the rest, they were pleasant enough.
Enjoyed this very much, the obvious highlight being Dreaming of You.
No conocía al grupo y he de decir que tampoco es mi estilo. Se puede escuchar y no está mal pero tampoco es algo que yo escucharía por mi cuenta.
Dreaming of you vier bis fünf oder fünf
Mad that I've never listened to this album, always rated the coral but never quite made the effort. It was more psychedelic than I was expecting, and I expected it to be a little odd. Definitely reminded me of the doors. Spanish main and skeleton key stood out I think but it could have done with one more obvious hit. Could definitely grow on me more.
Dreaming of You is brilliant, and overshadows everything else on the album. Next best song was Wildfire, but I'm not ranking them, as I had to skip a few out of annoyance (plus, I don't think I should be ranking songs). Overall, pretty boring. +1 for Dreaming of You/Liverpool area bias.
Dreaming of you is a brilliant track, which probably overshadows the rest of the album a bit really. I do like the sound though, feels summery. Saw them at sound city in Liverpool a while ago and they were decent. Bill Ryder-Jones was actually involved in making music for a mate of mines band Still think it's worthy of a 3.5
Reminded me of the Zutons, I may come back to this album. I don't think it crossed the threshold of 4, but a solid 3 for now, maybe a 4 in the future.
How have I never head of this band? This is way too much in my lane to have somehow missed it. The punk/ska Skeleton Key was a top track on my list. Nevermind - looked at the wiki and this came out during peek baby. The dark years of new music. Thank you 1001 for filling in this gap.
More Brit bias creeps in on this list with an album that is mediocre at best. This album stood out in no way at all, and nothing I heard sounded fresh, or even well done. It came and went like a fart.
Oh, for the love... early aughts "rock" that leans heavily on reggae, hold on - make that 60's psych, no... wait - polka? Ugh. it's a soup of mid rock that is trying to find a sound that sticks, but does not. None of it is bad, but none of it feels authentic.
Has some ok tracks but nothing exciting or really bad.
Hated
Where has this album been all my life, that was so fun!
This was fun and uplifting. But didn’t specifically stand out to me.
T'was nice, liked some tracks.
I've never heard of them before. Nothing new. Nothing groundbreaking. But almost a fun listen. Weak three stars. worst: "Skeleton Key" favourite: "Waiting for the Heartaches", "Wildfire" 2,5
Grindcore style album cover. Conjures images of Terrorizer or Brutal Truth. Ooh maybe Dystopia. They’re more crust/sludge or some other synonym for filth. Either way. I’m sure this won’t hold a candle to any of that, but that’s only based on about 11 months of terrible recommendations, so who’s to say. Throw me overboard, I need to collect some of this coral. Spanish Main - Interesting. Well, until the vocals come in. Jeeeeesus. Musical theatre. The music itself was pretty interesting, but the vocals sounded like Maroon 5. I Remember When - More Maroon 5 vo-kills. God, have you ever seen when cheesy bedroom black metal bands say things like “vo-kills?” I love it in an ironic sort of way. This song is alright but I can’t get behind this vocalist. Better than the last, especially during the verses. Shadows Fall - Oh noooo. It’s like post-ironic polka. Plus, it made me think of mid-2000s metalcore. And the associated swoop haircut. I experience zero nostalgia for like 2008-2014. What a lame era. Dreaming of You - I have been wracking my wrecked brain to try and recall where I’ve heard this song before. I also swore it sounded slightly different. I think it was in “Lego Rockband.” God I loved those rhythm games. This is actually a really sweet sounding song. I hate liking the popular ones, especially considering this was in an ad for “indeed,” but this is pretty undeniable. Simon Diamond - I always thought Simon Dean was Simon Diamond before, but it was actually just some club who teamed with CW Anderson in the dark days of ECW. When ECW stood for Even CW gets booked. Stinky song. Goodbye - I wish this was goodbye. I’m not having the best of times here. Fairly uninspiring. Waiting for the Heartaches - Man, this opening act has been going forever. When are the Heartaches going to get here?? This shitty reggae influenced band has been playing for hours. What’s that? It’s only been like 25 minutes? I’ve felt every second of that 25 minutes twice. Skeleton Key - Spooky! That weird funk break near the end broke the monotony of the previous few minutes, but then that was pretty lame too. Wildfire - Ringtone music meets the Clash. While that is what I believe to be the perfect combo for the creators of this list, I dislike both of those parts. Their sum? Even worse. Bad Man - Oh buddy we’re getting some sniffs. We’re getting some pounding drums. We’re getting mistakes on guitar. Ugh I just don’t care. Calendars & Clocks - This album feels like it’s measured in calendars rather than clocks. This song is really bad and has soured me on the whole album. I was leaning towards saying this was mediocre until that last stretch of songs. This thing sucks. 34 minutes felt like 134, and I hope this is the very last we see from this band. A cool album cover and one good hook can’t save you from the devastation that is receiving a poor rating from 1001albumsgenerator.com user 1617385. Truth hurts pal. The ska is coming from inside the album. Get me out of here. 1.5-2 HIGHLIGHTS: Dreaming of You
Another unnecessary British album. Dreaming of you was pretty good but the second half was quite loose and rambly.
Another Brit band I've never heard of. Sounds like they were trying to make a record in 1967. Fine but nothing special.
Not that it matters but this album cover is really cool. the music itself is fine. It sounds like an homage to 60's garage rock but I do appreciate the more modern sounding production. Does this need to be on the list? No.
quite annoying, and far too long
Other than 'Dreaming Of You', I wasn't that familiar with The Coral's music. After listening to this album, I can safely say I've not missed out on much. Let's start with some positives - the harmonies are on point, great vocals throughout. As far as the sound of the band goes, you can hear that this is them in an early stage still discovering themselves. It did get a bit same-y after a few songs though. Other than the big song on this album, the rest of the tracks aren't my taste. 'Bad Man' wasn't too bad either, but that's mainly because there was some life in that song. The rest of the album was very average though. I'm sure someone out there will love it, but it ain't for me. 2/5 is generous, but that's because there are definitely worse albums out there.
Unmemorable
A few songs start off pretty messy. After that, I understand the comparisons to Jim Morrison. The songs changing pace are reminiscent of the Doors. Musically it’s a solid album. I don’t hear anything ground breaking.
hey schono kuul, v.a. am afang, aber mit de zit wirds lärmig und langwiilig
Spanish Main is not a good start to this album, one line over and over again is not great song writing. This feels like an inclusion based on needing some more recent albums. It's like they heard some old sea shanties and decided their album had to incorporate them. There are too many obscure British bands on this list. Also, the British love of ska/ska influence has clearly not died. Dreaming of You is the hit and it's pretty good, has kind of a Zutons feel. Unfortunately it gets worse after that. The lyrics are like what my 8 year old makes up when she's singing her own songs. This album is so corny. The seaside vibe is better suited to a Jimmy Buffet cover band. I bet these guys love the Madness. At least the album was short. And more seaside references to close the album out.
Actually quite good, but another example of a band that were added because they were the big thing when the author wrote the list, not because they wrote music that would stand the test of time.
Dreaming of you is a banger, there are a few more pretty ok songs, but as an album it is pretty weak. Dreaming of you saves a 3.
Somebody took a bunch of genres that I kinda like and made this interesting mashup genre that I really like.
Feels like a 70/80s vibe to me, rather than early 2000s. Britrock, some familiar riffs, nothing too special for me. 3
Gave the vibes of the Scooby Doo movies soundtracks.
1/this was not cohesive for me and i do not like the vocalist
Yes! It's not often I give out a 5/5 to a band I've never heard of. This one starts off sounding like Aerosmith, then goes off into several different musical directions including surf rock, Sublime-sounding stuff, weirdness on Skeleton Key. I love the variety. I only listened to the original release, so I have a whole other disc 2 on the remaster to look forward to. Oh, and it turns out I did know one of their songs (Dreaming of You), it was in the game Lego Rock Band.
Everytime Len Houmous bumped into Paul or Ringo, he’d always joke that The Coral were the best band to ever come out of The Cavern Club. He wouldn’t dare say that to George. He had a renowned right hook! 2.7 4/11 Dreaming of You
back half better than front goodbye | wildfire
Classic rock revival is truly, one of our greatest societal ills.
I didn't know The Coral and I will say the album cover did not inspire confidence in a great listening experience. I did of course realize that I DID know Dreaming of You, but that was also the highlight of the album. Too shouty and too ska-y.
Hmm
4.5/10
Cool vibe, some i liked some i didn't but consistent sound throughout
Not my absolute favorite, but a very cohesive sound and vibe
capa irada
Never heard of these guys but this is a pretty cool album. This is kind of the stuff I feel like I missed ignoring rock for the 2000s, that makes me regret completely writing the genre off. Definitely a unique sound. I like the psychedelic sensibility they have without sounding too much like a 60s acid rock wannabee band. Time Travel is a great finishing track. 4/5
Man, I saw a “The” 2000s band and dreaded it. But wow. This band was actually pretty interesting. A smorgasbord of genres, a little ska, a little psychedelic — a lot of rock n roll.
Not for me
Meh.
Standout Songs: I Remember When Dreaming of You Skeleton Key Calendars and Clocks
if this thing doesn't give me a good album next, i'm going to implode
2.7 - Was this added because they have one great song?
Mostly meh. Dreaming of You feels like lightning in a bottle. I didn't mind Goodbye. Whatever happened in the last 20 seconds of Skeleton Key was fun. Fave Tracks: Dreaming of You 2.7/5
I found this album a bit meh, other than the track “dreaming of you” which was released all the other songs were very samey
Super psychedelic, I hear some influence from The Doors.
What would happen if The Byrds, 60s Pink Floyd, and The Zombies had a threesome?
Unnecessary in this list, but "Dreaming of you" has been a staple in my mp3 player and I can still vibe hard to that song
a mix of some absolutely brilliant songs and some totally awful ones. not overly impressed with it as an album but still grateful to have discovered some of the songs
never heard of this. apparently it's super common in charity shops in, you guessed it, the uk. even at its best (Shadows Fall) it's not terribly original or interesting. derivative. deserves to be one of the 1001? no
While the Beatles are not directly to blame, all those Yellow Submarine style awnings and playpark fixtures around Liverpool must have some effect on the children. The Zutons, The Wombats, and The Coral, all from Liverpool, and all amiably pop and psychedelic. You can go back to The Teardrop Explodes and Echo and the Bunnymen for more psychedelia, and Ian Broudie and Lee Mavers for more pop. Can the city do anything else? If you read that list with an honest heart, the returns clearly diminished over time, growing more and more childish and less challenging. It would be harsh of me to criticise the Coral too much though - I played that same sort of bouncing fifths bassline a lot in 2002 - but I can't say that anything from this album is worth listening to nearly twenty-five years later. I went to Liverpool as a kid and rode on a Blue Meanie spring rocker. I imagine it's still there, but eaten through with rust. Not so whimsical anymore. A guaranteed death trap. 1.5 ‘I shall give you a new song, it’s in the modern idiot and it goes something like this…’ The Coral display plenty of confidence on their debut album. Confidence in their playing, and in James Skelly’s singing in particular. They are confident too in their constant display of their debt to their great forebears in English pop music; XTC, The Specials, and of course Benny Hill. But why didn’t they cover ‘Dustbins of Your Mind’ or ‘Gather in the Mushrooms’, songs which sprung to mind irresistibly throughout my listen to their album? I would say it’s because the lyrical heft of Benny’s work might have shown up a lot of the empty dogshit-about-nothing (‘Simon Diamond’, ‘Bad Man’) that populates this album; songs that are all nudge and wink without any evident implication. ‘Dreaming of You’ is a banger though, even if I was already sick of hearing it about 20 years ago. 1.5/5
The amount of mediocre and completely forgotten British rock from the early 2000s on this list is truly astounding. This is such bullshit. This comes from a time where you could receive praise from rock journalists for presenting yourself as REAL rock music, because, contrary to what old people will tell you about Spotify and Tiktok flattening culture to mere aesthetics, having "authenticity" and "grit" in alt rock then absolutely was also about the aesthetics you pulled from and what signifiers you aligned with, rather than making something that is simple and stands the test of time. So you get a lot of bullshit like this that aged terribly and coasted by basically because they pulled from The Doors in a time where rock critics resented pop stars and DJs. And for what? So I can waste an hour of my life listening to some overproduced bargain bin bullshit that was given praise 25 years ago for awkward nods to fucking polka and klezmer instead of rap or metal? This is so embarrassing.
Really liked most of the songs!
Like ska mixed with indie rock and polka music. Favorite songs: I Remember When, Waiting for the Heartaches, Spanish Main, Skeleton Key, Dreaming of You, Simon Diamond Least favorite songs: Calendars and Clocks 4/5