Connected
Stereo MC's
1992
Album Summary
Connected is a 1992 album by Stereo MC's. The tracks "Connected", "Ground Level", "Step It Up" and "Creation" became hit singles.
WikipediaThis album is straight good vibes. The Bari sax on Connected is great. Also, funk flute? That's a definite yes for me. The album was great to run to and for some reason it reminds me of summer. It does kind of feel like workout music but in the best way possible. It's just a really fun album and while I suppose there's nothing incredible about it and most of the songs are quite repetitive, I still really like it. Favorite songs: Connected, Ground Level, Step It Up, , Pressure, Creation, The End Strong 8/10
I remember the opening track "connected." Very of it's time. Some of the lyrics really grate on me. Not really offensive or anything but I wouldn't want to listen this again for any length of time.
It’s like a mix of moby and smash mouth except not a good combination. They have that 90s feel to it but it’s in no way a rap album. Nothing special here. 5.1/10
Never heard of them before and had negative preconceptions based on the band name but there's no two ways about it: I loved it. I'm not sure why I loved, since it's very rare that I enjoy electronic music and even rarer that I enjoy rap/hiphop. Somehow this album hits my sweet spots for both genres. I found myself dancing along on my chair from the first track. Will definitely spend the rest of the afternoon listening to more by Stereo MCs.
I imagined a backstory that this album was created for babies. Specifically for babies on their morning commute to finance jobs in London, wearing navy blue baby business suits, and all listening to Connected on big (for babies) over ear headphones. With that clearly established, this album is perfect. It's stone cold 5/5 star British business baby breakbeat. Minus 1 star for adult content. A
I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I didn't like the first song, but I liked all of the rest of the songs and I can see myself listening to most of them again. 4/5 stars.
Staid and respectable. Lyrics a bit think piecey and therefore a bit irritating. Vocals nasal. Contemporary comparisons are Sault and Self Esteem--artists who send middlebrow critics into headstands because they act edgy while successfully courting a suburban listenership who can no longer hang with raucous irreverence. Get past the initial novelty and it smells suspiciously like zombie funk.
Felt like a breath of fresh air on the first (partial) listen and overall really nice beats and sound.
Great memories from Summer 94 when we played this CD over and over sitting in the sunshine in County Kerry. Shame they didn't do more. I remember it was so refreshing to have good dancy music after all the SAW purportedly dance shite of the late 80s. Enjoyed immensely
Loved the album. Certainly a work of its time. "Connected" is an absolute classic.
What an outstanding slice of 90s dance music this is. Listening to it is like time travel to a more carefree time.
This is the first album that I haven’t heard that blew me away. Loved it.
Had never heard this other than the title track. Absolute gold. I enjoyed every single track on here. What a fun early 90s vibe
I really like this music, it’s clean and funky. I might buy this vinyl. It’s smooth and transitions well, has good quality music, great instrumentals, and overall great presentation.
Sorry bruv, but I can’t stand listening to Brits rap. I was out after 4 or 5 tracks.
Pretty good trip-hop. Reminds me a little bit of Massive Attack's "Blue Lines," although I thought that one managed the style better.
Wow this is just a GREAT dance album, worthy of many more listens. A very good discovery. 4 stars 🌟
Man!!! Just a really really really good dance album. I loved listening to this. I think they must have had an influence on Massive Attack. Not quite in that category but close 4 stars
A lot of the songs are fairly repetitive but I still really enjoyed the album! Just has good vibes all around and Connected is a great song. 3.5
Ah, I was worried I was in for another techno garbage album. I know the first song, and it's a relief that they clearly have the skills of those bands like Boards of Canada, but know how to make a song too. Connected is a great song. Good beat, strong production. Love it. I'm pleased the album doesn't fall off after that stellar first track. Ground Level has the feel of 70s funk/soul mixed with this new techno jazz sound. That being said, the lyrics of these songs so far have not been my focus. I like the vibe, and have no clue really what, if any, message there is to these songs. I do sense an anti-war sentiment at the start of Everything, but then when the rap starts, it makes no sense. Overall, this was a surprisingly fun and enjoyable album.
Someone called this "dated". It's not. It's got all the features that were eventually taken over the top and turned into cliches in the 90's. But Stereo MC's have kept their cool and the result survives time better and sounds very effortless.
This album is a pleasant surprise. Funky with clever lyrics. I'd heard of Stereo MC's, but hadn't spent any time listening to their work.
These guys were contemporaries with Happy Mondays, but I like this way better. I think I’ve heard a few of these in commercials or similar. Groovey stuff.
surprisingly good! had me dancing from the start - rap was very 90's - in a good way
This was an awesome album. Some 90's hip hop from a a very diverse group based on the album cover. I enjoyed almost every song and a few I saved. These are the albums I'm looking for with this list!
-A very weak 4 honestly. Generally pleasant to listen to, but not a lot really drawing me back. Songs are catchy and fun but just not very exciting
Cool album. I think it's possible that my nostalgia for this era is causing me to overrate it but I really think this is one of the best examples of this style of music out there.
Cool sound. Connection is a great song. Similar vibes for the othe rings in the album, overall I really enjoyed the majority of the album
I had minimal expectations for this album. I mean I do like the title song "Connected" but... This album is actually not bad at all and the style of music still sounds pretty good. That style of music being called English hip-hop/house/electronic. I think I would put this more into the electronic or dance category with its dance beats and groove. The hip-hop is some rapping and sampling. The album sounds of its time, earlier 90's, but the production is quite good. The goal is simple: Dance, Party and Have Fun. Goal met. The song structure is basically led by the beat and filled in with vocals(lead and backing), samples, keyboards, synthesizers and horns. Besides "Connected", other songs that stood out were "Ground Level" - more laidback groove and more a soulful feel, "Fade Away" - faster dance beat, "Creation" - love the "Ring My Bell" vibe and rapping and "Step It Up" - their other hit single. This album may not be as cutting-edge techno-wise as some of the other mid-to-later 90's artists would be but appears to be influential (Hi early Gorillaz) and sounded fine today.
Early 90's fun, gets a little tired towards the end but great opening 3.8
5/21/2022 - ALBUM #114 Today's Album: "Connected" by Stereo MC's - This is the most impressive album I have heard in quite a while. This band does an absolutely stellar job mixing 90s Hip Hop/Rap with the new-age electronic aesthetics that started in the late 80s. First, the band is absolutely stellar. Each track has an amazing, memorizing groove to it that just make me want to move. The vocals in both the rap verses as well as the choruses are both really well done. I really enjoyed a more laid back approach to rap and the main vocalist has a really smooth, yet mysterious tone. Speaking of the choruses, each of them are so incredibly catchy and likeable without being really poppy. I like a lot of the background vocal performances and each track feels so unique while maintaining a really consistent quality. The track Everything stands out as a really great fast rap sequence with an incredibly groovy funk beat and just a ton of goddamn personality. The production and of the instruments sound good throughout the entire project and I particularly like how the project is mixed. Everything comes through really clearly and plays off of each other so well. Some songs are a bit boring compared to others, but even if I don't like a song's songwriting, it always impresses me enough to hop onto the highlights list and the rap verses are structured in a way to where it doesn't get as stale as some of the songs off of the NWA record I reviewed earlier. Overall, this is easily the best 90s rap album the generator has given me and given how early in the 90s it came out, it feels way more like an influential album than a collage of clichés. Nothing I could say in this review would describe how colorful and fun these songs are, so it really should just be experienced for yourself. Give this one a listen PLEASE if you are into R&B, Rap, or Electronica and you'll see what I'm talking about. Highlights: Connected, Ground Level, Everything, Sketch, Fade Away, All Night Long, Step It Up, Playing With Fire, Pressure, Chicken Shake, Creation, The End Score: 8.5/10 Crazy fun electronic hip-hop
I was definitely a fan of the title track when this came out. I may have listened to a couple of other songs back then as well because they kind of seemed familiar but I definitely thought of Stereo MC's as one hot wonders. You know what though? I really liked this, it was better than expected.
Listened Before?N This album made me miss the 90's! I really enjoyed it. It got a bit repetitive sounding the further it went, but overall not bad. I'll consider putting some of this in a party rotation. That first track is an absolute iconic banger! Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Connected
Legitimately interesting sounds that made this worth listening to. Songs and Lyrical acumen not spectacular but the sounds were intriguing.
Favourite track(s): Everything; Sketch This albums takes a sound similar to that of my favourite tracks from Massive Attacks Album released one year prior, employs it in almost every song, adds clean and chill lyrics and still manages to mix it up here and there. It may become kinda same-y by the end and The End is certainly not the most exciting track. But it is still a cool album all in all and makes for a chill listen.
Actually surprisingly good, groovy, 90s ravey vibes. Great to work to. Sorta corny from time to time. A bit jez from Peep show. Encapsulates the age well and zips along very digestibly.
Definitely one of the better hiphop albums we've had recently, sounds a bit like massive attack in a good way
Honestly not quite as great and cohesive as their decade-later followup LP Deep Down And Dirty, but still great fun to listen to.
I didn't know who this band was when it popped up here, but once "Connected" started playing I recognized it immediately. It got a lot of radio play when it came out, but it was a song I couldn't wait for to be over. I kept an open mind while listening to the album and was pleasantly surprised. I get why "Connected" was released, but I like every other song on the album more. Right or wrong, these songs make me think of a party version of Massive Attack. I'm on the fence between 3 and 4.
The title track is the only one off this album that I'd ever heard, and it continues to be in rotation for me due to it being on one of the Hackers soundtracks. I enjoyed this album as it played in the background, and am feeling generous enough today to give it 3 stars.
Über diese Platte habe ich mich zumindest nicht geärgert. Wird zum Ende immer besser. Vermag bei mir nicht ganz zu zünden, ist aber nie scheiße.
I knew the first track, I like it. A few others are nice tasty jams, but overall a bit one-dimensional and got a bit bored by the 2nd half. 3.5 down to 3.
Not bad. Kinda like a proto-, poppies version of Thievery Corporation. Connected is still a banger!
Enjoyable, though probably 25% too much rap and creative background vocals. Still fun to listen to a dance/electronic album with a killer title track.
Ça s'écoute vachement bien ça m'a bien surpris :-) C'est pas non plus l'album du siecle hein, ça m'a donné envie de rabaisser d'autres auxquels j'avais mis 3 étoiles aussi ^^
The title-track is a great tune, but the rest of the album, although not really bad, just doesn't keep up. Three stars anyway, cuz it's something I could leave playing in the background.
It reminded me of R&B when I was 5 y/o, interesting but nothing remarkable
Connected is a bop for sure. yea this album fades into a funky backbeat groovathon.
Nicht alles ist gleich gut gealtert, manches war damals schon reines Filler-Material (All Night Long - och lass mal Schatz, ich geh lieber schon schlafen) aber Connected und, weniger totgespielt, Step It Up kriegen natürlich very much Love. Joah, ich sach dann mal: 2,9.
Komisch wie sich alles ändert; höchstens egal, aber zumindest sympathisch waren mir damals die Singles der MC‘s und jetzt, ein Vierteljahrhundert später: Boom! Läuft lässig rein. Abwechslungsreicher könnte der Beat sein, ansonsten: Yeah yeah yeah 3.4
I like the punchy rhythm tracks, catchy bass-lines, backing vocals & and snippets of sax and guitar. They’re the kind of band that, if you hear them in a bar, you bob your head and say “wow this is great”, but it’s hard to maintain for a full album. Now that I’m a rap aficionado (thanks to 1001 Albums) I can say that the white boy rapping is not one of the high points of the album. They should have had guest appearances by someone like Nas or Ice Cube or at least dropped some explicit lyrics. I would have liked one or two more instrumentals like Chicken Shake.
It sounds its age but still pretty good. Some definite bangers and good rhythms all the way through
Blast from the past. Little bit of it's time but some of still sounds great.
Leuk plaatje wel. Zou het zelf niet zo snel opzetten, maar kan dit wel waarderen.
Not what I would typically describe as up my alley but I enjoyed this one
I’ve been waiting for this album to pop up on this list. It was destined for this list, British, trip hop, Brit pop, white hip-hop in one. I bought this album at a Goodwill b/c I like “Get Connected” and was pleasantly surprised by the full album, it was part of my regular post college rotation in Luverne. Lots of chill vibes, good samples, good to drive to. I can take or leave the backup singers, it dates it a bit, but I see what they were going for. It is a bit too one note and too one note to be this long. 3.
Omg this made me laugh. It didn’t even sound as dated and funny as I thought it would be. But MUST I hear this before I die? No.
That single Connected is so damn good. Need to listen to more from the album.
Good listen. Surprised me. Won't listen all the time but good nostalgia.
Está movido y pegajoso el ritmo. Siento que era una canción larga e interminable, como que todas las canciones sonaban igual.
Definitely enjoyed this one, a good blast into the past for sure. Good beats, good music, good lyrics and good vocals all add up to a fun retro (90's) listen!
Rap, but without the bragadocio, misogyny, racism or swearing, but with some catchy hooks. Very nice, but somehow it feels a bit hollow. Maybe I'm getting unured to the loathsome rap culture. I hope not.
Hearing the title track sent me straight back to the early 90s, with the alterantive dance / hip-hop music that was being played along side Big Audio Dynamite and EMF. "Connected" was the only track I recognized. "Pressure", "Don't Let Up", and "The End" had a good groove. The album was good.
"Connected" is a great and groovy song, I really dig it! While the rest of the album is listenable, I didn't feel it ever measured up to the promise of the title track. 3
Oh, that song. This was alright, don't find a lot of cause to listen to this kind of thing though.
Very much a product of its time, 90s dance music mostly spun from very early hip hop, staying faithful to 70s funk. None of the tracks are amazing, except "Step It Up." Nothing awful, you definitely get an enjoyable experience from start to finish. Main complaint: songs are too long. Why are they all around 4 minutes or more? Not much progression to keep interest. The Rolling Stones sample in "Playing With Fire" caught me off guard. Favorites: Connected, Fade Away, Step It Up
This album was a nice mix between Hip-Hop and Electronica, a nice easy listen and good to pop on and nod your head to - but would have been amazing to see at a festival. It was nice to hear some female vocals throughout the album - something that was not common at the time of release. Best: Connected Worst: Chicken Shake
Tri jer connected. Ostalo je jako mlaka verzija happy mondays bez ludila ikakvog i klišejiziranim hipi dipi tekstovima
I agree with one of the critical reviews. This album was nice to listen to but quite forgettable. It felt like elevator music.
Good beats. Nice grooves. Cool flows. Might have been more impressive in the early 90s uk.
Has it's moments. Very groovy, and up my alley but gets a bit repetitive after a while.
Genre: Alternative Dance 3/5 Another British album, another 90s album, and another album the internet deems alternative. Almost 70 albums in and I've run into this formula quite a lot. Hopefully this means rather than they're being an inordinate amount of them, I'm running into them early, but I won't hold my breath... I haven't even gotten any Radiohead yet. But as for this album, beyond the title track, which is a pretty killer hip-hop/R&B sort of jam in the neighborhood of Prince, the rest all sort of meshes together into a blend of drum loops and British accents. For what it's worth it's certainly listenable and enjoyable, but lacking sonic variety. Might be a sneak hit for some people who haven't listened to a Prince album yet.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from an album listed as Acid Jazz. Then I realized just how much I had heard the titular track. I think this is a nice groovy album that is very listenable. It gets a little repetitive at times and falls flat at others.
Bändin nimi + levyn julkaisuvuosi nosti varautuneita ennakkoaavistuksia. Onneksi tämä osoittautui kuitenkin jokseenkin positiiviseksi elämykseksi. Leppoisan kuuloista elektrofunkia(?) mukavan soljuvilla rappivokaaleilla(?). Tällaista musiikkia ei nykyään enää kauheasti tehdä. Ei innostanut ihan nelosen arvoisesti mutta solidi kolmonen.
I know the title track and it's really good. The rest of the songs are new to me. I enjoyed the music and style. I really need to hear more of it to rate it properly. 3/5.
A one-hit wonder album. The rest of the stuff sounds enough like the hit to make it enjoyable, but it's not different or adventurous enough to make it interesting. Best track: Connected
Po coveru sam očekivo neku lošu verziju fristajloa, ovo je zapravo dost solidno
Slušljivo, nedaleko od lošeg, ali si neb pustio ovo, i neb ništ imo protiv albuma da svira ovako negdje, pozadinski.
Solidno je. Pjesmu connected sam uvijek voljela a ostalo će otići u zaborav :')
Digging the triphop beats here. Very funky. Lyrically it can be a bit on the nose sometimes but overall a really cool release.
05/17/2022 Decent, and very of its time. Full-on 90s in every way. Opening track is a bop, and the rest are pretty fun in a corny, dated way, lol.
Cool Prefs: Connected, Everything, Step It Up, Creation Moins pref: Chicken Shake
Pleasantly funky and reasonably positive dance/hip-hop/indie crossover thing. Lyrics are nothing to write home about, but has a positive (if slightly superficial) vibe. Tends to blend into a funky wash. I'm sure they were fun live. Sample choice is exquisite, and they are tastefully deployed (which is certainly much better than most early 90s equivalents), which make this album sound less dated than many of its contemporaries. I like Connected, which is a great single, but the album is more of the (pretty good) same.
Fun, trippy, groovy, very '90s. It's an enjoyable listen and definitely a throwback to my college days. But ultimately, excepting a few stand out tracks, much of this album is still pretty forgettable. Title track is the ultimate ear worm. Fave Songs: Connected, Ground Level, Creation, Chicken Shake, Step it Up, Playing With Fire
First time listener for Stereo MC and Connected was better than I expected. It's kind of cool and funky and it has a catchy rhythm throughout. Probably won't convert me to a fan, but there could be a lot lot worse things to listen to. Enjoyable.
EMF. Jesus Jones. Beats International. The Shamen, ..The Stereo MCs.. etc. Typical early 90s UK dance music that sounded quite dated even by end of 90s (at least to me, I still like the sound of 80s dance music very much). Songs itself are fine though ("Connected" is 5*) and perhaps, with a different production, this might have been a semi-classic - not on the level of Screamadelica (1991) or The White Room (1992) or Blue Lines (1991) but still, definitely a proper 3* album I would say...
Nice chill organic-sounding dancey-trip-hop. A few nice singles that I remember from the long-ago. I don't have anything negative to say but then again .... I don't know, it's not entirely memorable? i.e. nothing made me sit up and take notice and/or give me chills - the inherent nature of the music, the style, etc - gives the overall sentiment and impression of a bit of repetitiveness. It's not bad, per se, just more of a vibe that's interesting but harder than normal to distill into individual songs or "tracks" - your mileage may vary. So in sum It's more of an attitude record for me, something that would likely be great background/party/gaming/sleeping soundtrack - passive listening. And there's considerable value in that. 6/10 3 stars.
this album was funky and jazzy but it was so so repetitive to the point where it was boring.
Más de esa cosa noventera que es medio bailable, medio hip hop, medio anuncio de VH1. No es malo pero tampoco es interesante.
3.5 stars. Easy listening hip-pop. The standout "Connected" is very catchy and the rest of the album carries on the funky easy feel and the simple lyrics.
I always assumed Stereo MCs were American until I listened to this. I was wrong, this is very much the sound of early '90s underground British dance music crossing over to the mainstream. It's much better than I expected, a decent take on the electronic music sounds of the day and some (not so great) rapping thrown in for good measure.
this is like the English version of Dee lite. makes me feel like a much more upbeat 90s version of skinnyman with none of the politics. that's probably me talking shite. it's ok, it's not the hidden gem i was hoping for but its genuinely not a bad album.
I've never heard of Stereo MC's before today. They are a 90's hip hop/electronica band from the UK. Their music reminds me of Moby or Bran Van 3000 a bit (typical run of the mill 90's hip hop). The album was good, I didn't have a compulsion to skip any of the songs, but it also just blended in with all of the other average hip hop bands of that era. I enjoyed the addition of the saxophone at times, and the mixing of beats and samples was well done. I also enjoyed the female harmony accompaniment as well. Overall, an average album, not terrible, but also not groundbreaking. Favourite songs: Everything, Playing With Fire, Creation, Ground Level, Pressure Least favourite songs: Chicken Shake, All Night Long 3/5
I was really feeling this at the start, but it got pretty repetitive and boring further into the album.
This is the most 1992 album I've ever heard - for better or worse! Pretty mellow and enjoyable. Did not particularly enjoy the background vocals on this, sounded a bit off. I don't know if I'll ever revisit, but it was a nice background to my morning.
Il y a 2 hits, dont un que j’aime beaucoup. Autrement, c’est du pop léché assez conventionnel.
Enjoyable -- liked Step It Up and Creation. Not my favorite but nothing I disliked
First impression: looks.like sth I would hate, and shou be filtered by my setting (where I exclude hip hop, pop and world music) In fact, not that bad, not an album I would come back to, but it's fine
Tolerable as background music and I suppose this is an interesting period piece if you are feeling nostalgic for the early 90s dance/rock crossover vibe. But you absolutely do not need to hear it and it has not aged well.
There was an album that went along with that song? Honestly though, that would have been fairly forward given when it came out. Sound was ahead of it's time within the electronic sphere...
Found this repetitive and boring for the most part. I liked a couple songs, namely "Step It Up" and "Chicken Shake" but I was more than ready for the album to end.
First song, "Connect", is not bad. "Step it Up" is also good. Acid jazz/hip hop kind of sound. 5/10.
Grup totalment desconegut per mi. El primer tema, "Connected", fa bé el seu paper de Ciceró per un àlbum que navega per una barreja amable de disco, hip hop i pop. Vindrien a ser una versió descafeïnada dels Scissor Sisters. Un disc que funciona per a tenir de fons, agradable, sense estridències, una espècie de company silenciós al qual no exigir-li res. Correcte, sense més. Però potser ja és molt.
Toch echt het openingsnummer wat me het meest aanspreekt, daarna haakte ik na 5 nummers wel af.