Connected

Reckon I could have waited until I died to hear this one tbh

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

A good album... but I am struggling with why it's in the 1001.

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

Cool album!!! I enjoy it a lot :) :) :) 1992 was an inspiring year :P

This 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

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.

How is this album on this list?

I liked this album - it felt old-school.

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.

SEE???? Electronic music CAN be good! All it has to do is not be the same looping beat for 12 minutes to be good.

I really should have owned this cassette, damn

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.

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.

Overlong, but good, even if it does now sound a little dated. A bit of judicious pruning would have made for a tighter, more exciting album.

Connected actually sounds good, with is no small thing for a dance record. That's thanks to liberal use of horns, flutes, electronic piano, in addition to scratching and basic hip hop drum beats, and no horrid synths. In addition, the elements really are tastefully layered, and the textures are varied throughout the album. The vocals are pretty white bread and the raps are bland, but who knows, many that helped Connected cross over to a more general audience--it's not a deal-breaker for me. There really isn't all that much more to this music, but it's enough really. After all, nobody is actually going to listen to this, they're going to dance to it, right? Right? This stuff has a danceable beat, and sonically speaking, it doesn't make you want to hurl. What more do you want? I dunno. How about an album that doesn't bore you to tears?

Voor mij zijn dit one-hit-wonders uit een telecomreclame. Na wat me de afgelopen dagen is aangedaan is dit prima om te luisteren, maar voor mij hoort niet niet thuis in dit soort lijsten. Erg 90's, huismerk Moby gecombineerd met The Streets. Het voelt wat kaal aan en dan heb ik het niet over Moby.

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.

if i were asked to describe what the 90's sounded like, this would be it.

Felt like a breath of fresh air on the first (partial) listen and overall really nice beats and sound.

Acid jazz. Me ha gustado bastante. Vinilo, incluso.

Really liked this and will definitely listen again.

Loved this. Dancey fun!

Had never heard this other than the title track. Absolute gold. I enjoyed every single track on here. What a fun early 90s vibe

Acid jazz. Me ha gustado bastante. Vinilo, incluso.

Sorry bruv, but I can’t stand listening to Brits rap. I was out after 4 or 5 tracks.

I knew 1-2 songs from this album, but it was great to dig into the whole thing. “Don’t let up” was playing as I was on a tough hiking trail, the perfect motivation music.

Not usually my kinda thing but this was great. Loved it.

I didn't realise I had heard so many Stereo MC's tracks. It is a greatest hits!

Epic album! I am so glad for this site, for 1001. One of the Best things I have discovered in my life. Thank you <3

Great!

Loved it! Best surprise album I’ve gotten by far.

This is the first album that I haven’t heard that blew me away. Loved it.

Love this group!

buen flow

Fun album! Great to discover it :-)

One of my favorites so far

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

FUCK YES!!! Lesgo 90s

I absolutely loved this one. Made me nostalgic for a time I didn't really get to experience because I was so young.

5 Erstes mal von der Band was gehört, aber irgendwie komplett Gefühl. Geile Mischung.

Awesome! Never heard of it. Like the 80s hiphop crossed with electronic vibes! Personal top3 in no order: Connected Everything Sketch

Any album that lends a track the soundtrack of the 1995 Angelina Jolie & Johnny Lee Miller fillum "Hackers" has to be a great album. HACK THE PLANET!

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.

Saw these this month, they were great live! Fantastic album.

This is a quintessential 90's album. It's great to re-listen and revisit an old memory, full of jenko jeans, motorcycle boots, frosted tips and colored contacts.

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.

10/10. W O W!!!!! I really didn't expect this album to be THIS good!!!!! :) Hip hop music isn't my cup of tea. However, something about this album in particular just hit me in all the right spots, and scratched all of the right itches in my brain. It's nothing short of absolutely enjoyable. The instrumentation is dope, and so were the vocals. The album did not get dull over time. While I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Rage Against the Machine's self-titled album, it's pretty freaking close to being as enjoyable as that album. I certainly plan on re-listening to this album in the near future. :)

Just love the beat. Was something new when it came out and still pops up on the radio.

I've always liked the title track to this album, although I was never really aware of Stereo MC's as a band. It was good to hear the rest of the album, and the early 90s cool funkiness really grew on me as it went along.

Pretty good, rap like J5

funky electrónico y fuera de mi estándar pero está genial

"Am I on an episode of Fresh Prince?" "Am I walking down a California boardwalk with a boombox on my shoulder?" "Bro can I borrow this tape to listen to on my Walkman?" Phrases that might have been uttered while listening to this album. Does it get any more '90s?!

What a nice album. This shake my chicken:)

3.5 :p

I actually enjoyed this album. I always thought they were a one hit wonder with Connected but after listening to the album, I feel it is pretty legit overall

I liked this more than I thought I would. You get past the "hit" first song, and the rest of it was pretty good. I liked the lead vocals, there was a smarminess to it that I really dug. For some reason t reminded me of the vocals to the way you hear "Puttin' On The Ritz." I thought I would have gotten bored with the songs, but as I went through each track, it was varied enough that I was surprised. Each song seemed like a refreshing change form the previous one, they did not blur together for me at all, which was a very pleasant surprise. "Chicken Shake" at first I thought was going to have vocals, I was surprised that it was a pretty decent instrumental for what it was. Favorite tracks: "Connected," "Step It Up," "Chicken Shake," "Fade Away"

The Groove was real, tinsel fringe on my brain cells makes me happy when the sun shines in

A very memorable album for me. Follow sure Connected and Step up.

Somewhere between Happy Mondays and East 17, with a sprinkle of The Brand New Heavies. But obviously doing their own thing though. Nottingham, who knew? ‘92 - a simpler time when you could get away with this naff whiteboy rapping. A couple of really good singles on there and a lot of decent albums tracks, could benefit from dropping a bit of filler though, get it down to 40mins.

Like everyone else I knew the title track, “Connected”, going into this. It’s a hypnotic track with a driving beat that even those who have no inclination to dance at all can’t help tapping their foot to at the very least. The rest of the album keeps it up! I hear a Talking Heads influence here on some of the tracks. The music is upbeat, and the lyrics are interesting. They sound like they’re an awesome band to see live. I’m definitely going down the rabbit hole with their music after this.

Enjoyable album from just before all the acid-jazz stuff Natalie and I listened to in the mid 90s. Nice grooves, chill but not sleepy, works in the background and on closer listening. Thoughtful and well delivered lyrics, with a strong vein of social commentary that is (alas) still relevant. No one song really stays with me, other than the single, but I’ll be back to spin this album again.

Great 90s music. Made me nostalgic.

Cool

Pretty good trip-hop. Reminds me a little bit of Massive Attack's "Blue Lines," although I thought that one managed the style better.

This was a surprise. I expected some more raw hip-hop or noisy electronica. But instead was an album full of funky beats. Even the rap songs were enjoyable. This is an album I would spool up again next time I'm in the mood for some beats. Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - I enjoyed listening to it but wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.

Really liked this 90s electronic sound.

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.

Cool

That's who made all those songs then!

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.

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

Some wicked sounds couple of duds but top overall

Would you like to listen to smooth grooves for about an hour? Because that's what this is.

Great album. Connected is such a good song

really cooool one of the songs near the end kinda sucked though

this is very good old hip hop

Good fun.

Honestly not quite as great and cohesive as their decade-later followup LP Deep Down And Dirty, but still great fun to listen to.

Definitely one of the better hiphop albums we've had recently, sounds a bit like massive attack in a good way

Un poco repetitivo

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.

Tip top British funk, disco, jam

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.

Normally don’t enjoy hip hop but liked this album.

I liked this. It is like 90's dance funk, but easy to listen to.

Very good

this was such a cool mix of 80s hip hop and electronic music gr8 job

Legitimately interesting sounds that made this worth listening to. Songs and Lyrical acumen not spectacular but the sounds were intriguing.

Fun! A good bit of 90s UK club track.

Wow this is just a GREAT dance album, worthy of many more listens. A very good discovery. 4 stars 🌟

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

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

Cool music for the coming spring. I enjoyed it while walking through the park

very nice grooves and overall had nice structure and coherence

Great grooves / vibe / mood

I remember it well. Good stuff.

I thought it was a great album with a nice vibe throughout.