The Good, The Bad & The Queen

Sure, easy to listen to I guess. But this album is taking up valuable real estate from some other album.

Not horrible, but pretty uninteresting. 3/10

I know I don't have the appreciation for Blur that some other music heads have so a supergroup containing half Blur members just was never gonna be for me.

This was pretty good.

No longer in the book. On paper, this sounds beyond cool: Damon Albarn, riding high on Gorillaz, with Paul Simonon of the Clash on bass, Simon Tong of the Verve on guitar, and Tony Allen (maybe THE greatest drummer ever!!) on drums. So imagine my disappointment when none of that talent translated, at least on the first few tracks. First off, you’ve got TONY ALLEN on drums, and you don’t do anything to make it groove? Second, this is clearly a Damon Albarn project, produced by Danger Mouse, with other famous guys occasionally adding sounds to the songs. I get that there’s something clever or profound going on here, but I find the execution dull. British music is way more exciting than this. The book deserves better, and I’m glad they removed it. Not sure what they were thinking at the time. 2 stars for the production and atmosphere, zero for the rest.

Again, super confused by the idea that this is one of the 1001 albums I need to hear before I die because it feels like a minor footnote in a career of someone who has made a lot of other albums that should be on a list of 1001 albums a person should hear before they die.

Tony Allen is an amazing drummer but it feels like he held back (or was held back) from doing much on this album. Overall, it's fine. I'm a little confused at the genre choices here with Paul Simonon playing bass and Tony Allen playing drums, I'd have hoped for something more afrobeat mixed with punk? Alas, it's a mostly quiet album that kind of moves by without making much of an inmpression.

this was fine, nothing too special. This seems like an album that I might need more than one listen to appreciate. (Un)fortunately(?), this album won't be getting another listen.

Unremarkable but passable

Every song seemed like it was headed somewhere, but got lost & never made it.

1. 3.5 2. 3 3. 2.5 4. 4 5. 3.5 6. 2.5 7. 3 8. 3 9. 2.5 10. 3 11. 2.5 12. 4.5

This was all right. Not bad but nothing special. Pretty easy listening.

Burto this is terrible

i like Damon Albarn's other projects, and this felt similar to Muse at times

The lack of an oxford comma in the band and album title is bugging the crap out of me and I found it a lot easier to focus on that than pretty much anything on the album itself. It's weird, you'd think a supergroup consisting of members of Blur, The Clash, and The Africa '70 (how the hell did they get Tony Allen of all people on this one????) would be groovy, or fun, or entertaining, or something at all. Not to say that this is outright nothing, but man is this album seriously lacking in the stuff going on department.

Neat little Albarn project, sort of in the experimental vein of later Gorillaz, though a lot moodier and more brooding than anything off a Blur or Gorillaz record from earlier. I quite enjoyed it, probably because I generally enjoy Damon Albarn's voice, and the rhythm sections all over this thing were pretty tight and punchy. It's also like a Gorillaz take on an indie folk record, akin to a guy like Sufjan; a lot of the finger-picking acoustic cuts like 'Nature Springs' or 'A Soldier's Tale' gave me that feeling. But again, it balances it out with some pretty great groovy bits. And the closing title track was pretty enjoyable, especially that outro portion, which feels like all the pent-up rage of the record finally releasing in an epic, noisy jam. Not much to say about this record; it's a cool one that I, for the most part, enjoyed.

Not as good as Gorillaz, but still worth the listen.

Meh.

After a slow start, The Good, The Bad & The Queen begins to sound less like a Blur or Gorrilaz cast off and more its own thing. Better on second listen. Top production from Danger Mouse, best with headphones. Highlights Herculean, A Soldiers Tale, Green Fields and the title track. 4

This has an interesting sound, and is well arranged, and yet, it doesn't really pique my interest that much. And its tough to tell whether it's a gradual grower, or just not quite for me. At the moment its a 3.

It was fine. Pretty emblematic of 2000s alternative in that I think it’s good but don’t remember much about it.

An interesting mix of talent to say the least. A solid front to back album that i'll likely forget in a week.

I wanted to like this more and I should. It's my vibe and I love almost everything Damon does. Sadly this was just boring.

This one for me has not pierced through my brain at all despite 3-4 listens. I took a hiatus from this project for the reason that I didn't think I could focus on the albums that much, and maybe that's true or maybe the albums are just meh for me personally.

Not the supergroup i would have expected to form, and not how i would have expected them to sound. Still a delightful treat, great mix. I didn’t know a lick about london beforehand and i’m glad to say i still don’t

hadnt heard this ever! good!

History Song ist ganz cool. Der Rest eher langweilig.

Nothing special stand out to me but also nothing stand out to me as bad. You can hear the gorillaz genes in it. Kinda boring, forgettable, just ok. Another album i don’t know why made it to the list. I will give it a 2 but a higher 2.

i liked this, it was an unexpected vibe and a pleasant listen all over :)

This one has been recommended by music lovers in the past. Why, I have no idea, it's so average and boring. Someone burned me a copy in Again, this is a Brit-favoritism thing, anything Damon Albarn is associated with gets love from the Englanders. It's all about London and Britain, it's not a topic of super interest over here. You have to buy into his storytelling to enjoy this album. The intro track, "History Song", is the best track, but it's vanilla oatmeal from there. Mind numbingly boring. 2 stars

If you put this on and told me it was a gorillaz album I probably wouldn’t give it a second thought The production is super similar to gorillaz along with the singers voice That being said this is a mid to low tier gorillaz album with it just not being super interesting but it’s also not bad 3/5 Favorites: history song, Herculean

It was alright, started strong it caught my interest, but I just couldnt finish it

3,5 stars

Why does Damon Albarn need so many bands? Who keeps letting this happen?

it’s pretty good. as much of the clash told it, paul simonon is who introduced jamaican music to the band. it’s great to his dub-informed playing here

If you were hanging out at someone's house and they were playing this, you would notice music playing, but have no engagement with it.

I like Damon Albarn so I’ll tune into whatever nonsense that funky little boy is up to

Never heard of this, sounds like the singer from Gorillaz

Stand-out tracks: History Song, Northern Whale, Herculean, Behind The Sun, Nature Springs, Green Fields, The Good, The Bad And The Queen

It’s a good, technically sound album, something about it though makes me feel like something is missing. I can’t quite put my finger on it

Can't really place this one that easily. There's an slow, dark atmosphere to these tracks and for the most part I think they're pretty cool. I like the role the bass guitar plays in giving a subtle groove to the ambient sounds created underneath them. However, I'm not really sure why Damon Albern made this record. Maybe he got bored? It doesn't feel like it has that strong an identity and the tracks get lost as the album progresses. He could have taken the best bits from this album and retrofit them into Blur or Gorillaz albums. A decent listen but quite meandering & boring by the end.

Worst """"supergroup"""" ever?

For an amazing collab group, this album was fine - rock but nothing that stood out

I listened to this indie pop/rock album on a car ride (twice, both to and from the destination). There were some unique sound effects and whistling, but also an overall feeling of urgency and dark tones (probably caused by eerie-sounding acoustic guitar and bass). I particularly enjoyed the sound of the first track, "History Song", and "Green Fields". I enjoyed it, mostly.

Broadly speaking, I don't think "supergroups" make good music (boygenius excluded). This album did not change my opinion. Meh at best; entirely unmemorable.

No memorable songs, but it was a decent listen. The gorillaz, the clash, and the verve are better. Maybe not a 100% necessary collab.

Surprisingly enjoyable. Thought it would be tedious because Albarn is a pretentious twat.

Skipped it, not a fan.

⭐️Herculean

An interesting group of songs. Good lyricism and fine musicianship. They call it a super band but I'm not familiar with them.

For a group of very talented musicians I found myself a little bored and I barely noticed when it started again. It was pleasant enough but not memorable Playlist add: “Nature Springs”

I’ve recently come to dislike Damon Albarn as a person (justice for Uncle Acid!) but this album is pretty cool, primarily thanks to the production and rhythm section.

Yet another sun-par UK band with no good reason for being on this list. An utterly forgettable album.

Definitely better on a second listen. Parts of this were tremendous and other parts were grating. I feel good at 3 stars but depending on my mood I can see anywhere 2-4

Melodic sounds. Enjoyed listening to this.

I don't know if it would have made a difference, when I first listened to this album in 2007, to know it was a sort of concept album about Olde London. It certainly didn't make a difference now. I admire Albarn's desire to do things, even if they don't always sound like new things. On Monkey or Dr. Dee, the hallmarks of Albarn's songwriting are all over what he does, as they are here. Certainly in this part of his career. It takes a great band of collaborators, like his colleagues in Blur or Gorillaz, to find the energy in what is often dreary, melancholic latterday output. One would expect the supergroup here present to be up to the challenge, but they are overwhelmed by Albarn's presence. Tony Allen is barely detectable. He's going all out on Three Changes, but still is subsumed by everything going on around him. Maybe it isn't Albarn's fault as much as Dangermouse's. I've never liked his production. Let's say it's him. 2 I am finding it difficult to focus my thoughts on any question here aside from why this album is included in the list. It’s a good album, surely, but is it significant in some way that I’ve overlooked? 21st Century Damon Albarn is always making decent, slightly gloomy records full of solid melodic ideas and keyboard hooks and interesting beats. See: Gorillaz‘ Demon Days, Blur‘s Think Tank and Ballad of Darren, Damon‘s two ‚solo‘ albums. Is this plateful of Damon Albarn’s Bread and Butter ‚better‘ than those other records which aren’t on this list? Maybe. Is that why it’s here? 2/5

I didn’t mind that, I really liked some of the string arrangements, they were very pretty and the drumming was nice too. Tbh it was really just his voice and a couple of electronic elements that put me off. His voice was super mundane and wasn’t really something I liked. His tone barely changed either. I think I would listen again just once to see if my opinion changes on his voice but other than that it’s not really something I would return to. Not a bad listen tho, 3.124/5

Reading some of the background material on this group, it seems to have some star members, but the album was forgettable.

It certainly is Albarny.

Favourite Songs: Three Changes The Good, The Bad And The Queen

Some decent songs in there

Some pretty good stuff and some pretty bad vocals too

One of the albums that has ever been made, that’s for sure. Not terrible or anything, but it’s definitely not for me.

This is nice and generally smooth. Maybe a little to smooth. Gets a bit repetitive. Almost 4, but lands a 3.

Was ok but dreary on occasions

65

But like thiiiiiis close to a 5. If I had a CD player, I’d buy this CD

Helt grei. Har ingenting å gjøre på lista. Knapt en fotnote i Albarns diskografi.

Snill 3 er. Skjønner egt ikke hvorfor denne er på lista. Kunne vell heller vert et til Gorillaz album?

Dette prosjektet har gått meg hus forbi. Artig samling mennesker, ikke like bra samling låter.

Rett fra Albarns overskuddslager.

Très sympa, je pense qu'il me faut plusieurs écoute pour savoir si j'aime vraiment beaucoup mais comme ça rien ne m'a marqué donc 3

Même si l’album est incroyable ça sera un big un parce que groupe album et son du même nom faut aller se faire

This had moments I liked, but it didn't draw me in and hold me much. Damon's singing did hook me in a little, but it was only because I kept thinking of the Gorillaz.

I'm still not sure how I feel about Damon Albarn(okay, he was a founder of Gorillaz, so he's a legend). Gorillaz are my favorite band of all time, so one reason I've been excited about this journey is because of the classic Blur albums I get to discover. As it turns out, Blur has been hit, or miss for me. If I'm being honest, they have been quite the disappointment overall. Back in 2007, I was fully aware of Damon Albarn being the lead singer of this supergroup. For whatever reason, I never listened to their music(I suppose I was too obsessed with Eminem, System Of A Down, and Gorillaz to actually buy an album from a new band). Now that I've listened to the debut album from this "new band", it definitely sounds more like Gorillaz than Blur. With better production, and perhaps a little more variety, it would be a complete masterpiece. Favorite Track: "The Good, The Bad And The Queen".

Just not for me.

In one ear and out the other indie slop.

Some decent songs, got bored towards the end

Enjoyable, I liked 80s Life best. Also a whale song :3

Damon albarn jumpscare. For sure didnt think that was what we were getting into. But it sure is. The best way I can describe it is thats its like futuristic frontier music. Not like a can of beans on the fire type frontier but more likr independence Missouri type. Likr Blackwater in red dead. A place with some culture but not a ton. Just enough. Not super engaged with this tracklist but its ok. Just fine enough to have the classic albarn singing over some more country ish music. Neat that hes out there doing something differnt than blur or the gorillaz. Tho I think I prefer both. Ok stuff

very folky mix with alternative rock........can't really find the direction

Three and a half? Maybe.

Как будто собрали все самые скучные песни Blur и Gorillaz в одном альбоме. Хотя музыка неплохая

On paper, bringing together Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong, Tony Allen, and Danger Mouse sounds like lightning in a bottle, but the actual record feels frustratingly lesser than the sum of its parts. It’s a bit of a letdown, honestly. Don't get me wrong, it’s not a train wreck; there’s some moody, atmospheric stuff going on. Allen’s rhythm section is solid as always, and songs like "Herculean" and "Kingdom Of Doom" show off that weird, dub-psych vibe they were going for. The production is sharp and gives it this damp, gloomy London feel that’s fine to have on in the background. The main issue is that for a supergroup like this, nothing here really sticks or feels finished. Albarn just mumbles his way through the whole thing, and the tracks start to bleed into each other, turning into polite, sleepy mid-tempo filler. Everything feels like it's building toward something interesting but never actually gets there, leaving the whole album sounding more like a bunch of B-sides than a must-listen classic. It’s an okay diversion, but pretty forgettable given who's involved.

The good: the title track The bad: most of the rest of this The Queen: RIP Damon Albarn is no Thom Yorke. This may be the worst thing he ever crapped out. Saved by the title track, which is pretty good, mostly because it's largely instrumental.

the one, the two, and the 3 outta 5

Okay, unexpectedly LOVE

Jeg synes sgu det er rimeligt godt fedt.

*67 The rimelig good, ikke helt bad and the til tider boring. Fede produktioner.

Er biased når det kommer til gode gamle Damon, for synes bare han er så fed så fed. den får en lille 4'er

Jeg har tit syntes, at det er lidt svært med Damon Albarn uden for Gorillaz, men det skal åbenbart bare kombineres med Danger Mouse 3.8

This album tries to exude a melodramatic tone, but there is no emotion behind it. It's just soft noise. I'm sure it has it's place somewhere, like the background music at a funeral home, but there's no place for it in my collection. The best I can say is that at least is inoffensive, so it isn't a complete failure.

Fairly vanilla 2000's alt rock, but, not annoyingly so.

Just because Damon Albarn

Gorillaz b sides. This was boring. Nothing to revisit here

Was alright. Already forgotten it from this morning though.

This is... good? It's sort of all over the place, and I know almost nothing about the constituent bands except the Clash, so I'm not sure how it fits into, say, Blur's catalog, or Gorrilaz'. I can see myself returning to this one now and then and getting more out of it.

could be a gorillaz record tbh, just with more consistent guest

So the creative team behind Demon Days made an album that sounds like Demon Days' outtakes. I dig it well enough.

spent all of "history song" wondering why the vocals were so familiar only to gaslight myself through "80s life" that it was just my imagination the vocals sounded like any singer in particular. but as they say: the chances an album will have damon albarn on vocals are low, but they are never zero. i had "herculean" saved from this album prior while i had no memory of the song or when i would've saved it, it became apparent listening through the album why it had been favorited. now as a gorillaz enjoyer this was, certainly, an enjoyable album, though it really did just sound like a gorillaz album without the usual expansive/experimental foundation to play around in. not saying you need to be reinventing the wheel by having dozens of different collaborators or soundscapes on every record, but i finished this album wishing there had been more places and ideas to visit. i WANTED to see where else this album could've gone, so it's a little disappointing in that regard. still, pretty good stuff!! 3.5 erring on 4 highlights - northern whale, herculean, three changes, green fields, the good, the bad, and the queen