Connected

meh

Fun dance vibe but nothing special imo

I didn’t really enjoy this album, but it wasn’t awful. I genuinely can’t fathom why it’s considered an essential listen though. I haven’t done any research, so perhaps it was revolutionary in its time. But to my stupid little modern ears, I’d find myself just tuning out. It is dance music, which has never honestly been my forte, but it isn’t as catchy as other dance music of the time.

Besides the well-known title track "Connected" and "Step It Up" nothing remarkable for me. Just 90s electronic music. 2,5

tja... altijd maar tzelfde

Connected is a good sample of some of the sounds of early 90s clubs in Great Britain. There was one hit from this record and good vibes throughout. Like many records on this list it doesn't exactly stand the test of time but I enjoyed it all the same.

Kind of like if Stone Roses took meth and listened to heaps of reggae

Enjoyed this more than I expected. Glad I listened.

better than I remember more one hit

Alright, I think there's a lot better stuff in this genre

It was pretty fun! 3.4.

This album sounded like the 90s. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5

not offensively bad, but just kind of boring and very repetitive. a lot of what you hear here sounds like first drafts, both lyrically and musically. pass!

Wasn't great when it came out and has aged very poorly. Hi tech but low talent effort.

It's interesting but not super into the vocals... Doubted between giving 2 or 3 stars. If I could I would say 2,5 Favorite Tracks: "Connected", "Creation"

I think it's supposed to be dance music, but I don't feel it. Favorite song: Pressure.

Better than I expected

I guess 2 since it was fine, but I was kinda happen when the album was done. Will I listen to again: 0%

Mehh

I've heard of them but never heard then. Unexpectedly impressed 3.5/5

I remember buying this one on the strength of hit single "Connected". Alas, as fun as all of this kinda felt at the time, the rest of the album comes off as very lackluster compared to said single, and clearly didn't stand the test of time. Only now do I realize that "Playing With Fire" rips off an old moody cut by the Rolling Stones, to a very cheesy and dated result here. Lost that CD a long time ago. Not gonna buy it again. 1.5/5 for the purposes of this list, generously rounded up to 2 6.5/10 for more general purposes. Number of albums left to review: 133 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 373 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 221 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 279 (including this one)

Enjoyed this more than I thought, the beats are funky and jazzy with plenty of influences and variety. I didn't really like the actual MCing which sounds very of its time and monotone, but decent overall

Mellow hip hop- a good driving album

Holy 90s Batman!

The guy singing on the first track reminded me of Oasis goes “trip hop” as Wikipedia described the genre. I didn’t like Everything and after a while I got a bit tired of the tracks.

very fun

Another alternative dance record out of '90s UK. I don't think vocalist Rob Birch is all that great here, and the beats end up fading into the background for me.

It's a little corny but I like iy

I really like this group. I think a lot of people think of them as one hit wonders or a flash in the pan, but I’ve always appreciate what they bring to the table. Kind of an uncool coolness that is both admirable and not worth riding for.

Great album, very good background noise.

very repetitive, just didn't get into it

My opinion of this album hasn't changed since it first came out. It's okay, but it's not something I would choose to listen to. It sits uncomfortably in a little crevice between funk, rave, and dance music, a place that was popular for a short time in the early 1990s and then pretty much faded back away. There's a couple of hits here and they are really all that is needed to appreciate the entirety of what is on offer here. The extra tracks don't bring anything new to the table, just rather dull instrumental passages, and quite inane half-rap. It's not truly dire, but I feel 2 stars is still a little generous.

Pretty much what I expected, very laid back, that 90's Happy Mondaysish "vibe" . I do have a strong urge to buy a carphone all of a sudden. Weird.

i got nothing out of this

Of its time

Connected is a fine song. But I'm stopping at track ten here. This isn't doing it for me and I don't see it improving toward the end.

UK acid jazz - need I say more?

Gonna be honest. I heard Connected and thought “oh shit, I’m in for one hell of an album” Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out that way. With the exception of Connected, I think this album is a great “throw it on during a bbq for some funky vibes” and that’s about it. Nothing was quite as strong as the album opener in my opinion, but at the same time I didn’t dislike anything I listened to. Gonna keep this in my back pocket for the next backyard party I host, but it probably won’t be listened to much past that

I like the vibe. Groovy and chill - it’s definitely something I could put on at a party. There’s enough variety within each song and between songs to keep it interesting.

Decent 90s jam band vibes. That first song sounds really familiar but I can’t figure out from what.

I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Before my time in rap, but unlike a lot of early rap, this is not super in your face. It’s very much a vibe/background type music and i enjoyed listening to it without being fully invested in it. I felt that I would listen to it in the same situation that I would listen to LOFI.

Vibes for days. The only criticism I have is that when listening to the album all the way through some of the songs tend to blend together because the drum beat isn’t all that different from song to song. Hard to say this one doesn’t belong on the list because it feels like Connected has been in popular media and advertising forever. May not come back to the whole album, but I will with a couple songs.

I think I liked this more than it deserves. I was really vibing with it! The beats were cool and the vocals were decent. My only complaint is it's length. Some of the songs had about 3 minutes of looped beats with nothing else. Outside of that, I really enjoyed it.

This was a fun album. Not great, but it helped pass the time.

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.

Pretty generic, even for a time when this kind of music wasn't common.

Funky nice music

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

I enjoyed this album. Feels VERY 90s. The title track is easily the best on the album.

Yet another album where there is one song that is vastly better than everything else. Makes me question what the author's definition of "essential" is.

Generic slop. At least there were black people in it.

Nostalgic…never listened to the whole album before

Not good, not terrible.

Some classic 90s grooves

I'd completely forgotten about these guys. Found I had a few of their tracks saved on Spotify, and found some more to like on this album. It's just a bit short on ideas across its run time and track to make it a 5, but I'm amazed this as far back as '92!

Meni kyllä mulla toisesta korvasta sisään, toisesta ulos, vaikka meno sinänsä oli iskevää. Miksi ette saaneet minua kuuntelemaan sanomaanne, Stereo MC’s? Miksi nimessänne on heittomerkki?

Jossain määrin tarttuvaakin, mutta esitettynä eteenpäin tasaisesti puksuttavalla, elottomalla ysärikompilla. Vaikea kiinnostua enempää kuin yhden kuuntelun verran.

love it

It's ok.

Okay

I knew the first song. The rest was more of the same.

This isn’t really for me. It’s an early UK hip hop album but there are much better British rap artists who came later. There are much better acts that do the trip hop/acid jazz thing like Portishead or even Jamiroquai, and there are much better British rappers as well. I guess the fusion is sort of unique, but the sound that Stereo MC’s record still just doesn’t sound that unique. For better takes on the same general sound, listen to The Shamen, Tricky, or Happy Mondays instead.

It's so basic. It's really nothing you need to hear. There are much better examples of whatever this is.

Lil funky

I didn’t entirely hate it, but there was nothing about it that I enjoyed. It’s like a weird middle ground between pop and hip hop, but it doesn’t do either well.

This is silly and fun. But very samey-samey, with the rhymiest of rhymes, and it does NOT need to be 56 minutes long. A solid 2.5 but it's getting rounded down bc I will certainly never listen to this again.

Oh that’s the band behind that one song that I didn’t know was called connected, neat. There were a couple other fun moments on here at least

This was fine! Not all that groundbreaking, but. pretty good for 1990s hip hop album. There are so many albums that sound similar to this on this list though.

when i was in college, the intramural theater club director made everyone do a series of one act plays, and one of them involved a choreographed dance to Stereo MC's Step It Up. I still have stress dreams about being pulled from behind the lighting board to fill in for someone who got injured

one star off for the song that starts with a killer coming at me or whatever. the rest slaps

This and Elastica in the past week? My entire collection of "dance music." This CD gets played once every 2-3 years because of Connected. Cool sound, that lies at the edges of my tastes.

Connected is decent in places, it has a very 90s style and vibrancy to it and some of it is very well known, it just gets a bit samey after a while. Still, it's interesting and a bit of fun so a solid enough 3.

Started out with quite high hopes for this one, but it fades pretty quickly. The title track is cool, but it's all very much of its time, steady, a bit hiphop, a bit alternative. Doesn't evoke much in me, it's a 2 really.

It's a rap album, made entirely to a brief that says "What is the maximum level of hip hop the least open minded white person would be willing to listen to?" And to which the answer is, "Very little". Connected and Step It Up are good pop songs though

No unbelievable

Music that makes you go "Yeah, that sure was music that I just listened to" after listening to it. ...Actually sort of grew on me the more I thought about it during the day. The title track is really good. Might have to give this one a 3/5.

it was fun but i wouldnt listen again

Connected is a nice song. Everything else is at Ground Level without any Pressure and listening to it feels like listening All Night Long to one song, simply boring. At The End it's better to Fade Away and forget this Creation which feels like Chicken Shake to me.

Рэп-электроника с приятным женским вокалом и пофигистской мужской читкой. На чилле, на расслабоне.

Sick flow

It was cool! I liked it a lot more than I thought I would

Pff, ik heb nu 2,5 keer heel het album geluisterd, en nog bij geen enkel moment een specifieke gedachte of opvatting gehad. Het is een beetje strandtent-loungemuziek. Ik wil er gewoon van neerploffen en een dikke boomstronk opsteken. Rating: 5,5/10 Highlights: Het klonk voor mij meer als 1 grote brei aan relaxbeats, ik kon geen onderscheid maken tussen de nummers

Waar ik geregeld moeite mee heb bij 90s muziek, vooral die uit de UK, is dat de komst van de 808 en andere drummachines de muzikale lat wat lager legde. Op deze plaat is weinig écht muziek-gogme en fijnbesnaarde instrumentatie te vinden, maar de drumbeat gaat wel lekker. Daar kwamen een hoop acts wel mee weg. De opener is een prima song, maar daarmee verschiet de groep al z'n kruit al wel. Later hebben nummers als 'All Night Long' en 'Chicken Shake' echt wel een aanstekelijke groove, maar weten ze die geen vervolg te geven met andere interessante elementen. Een leeg omhulsel blijft het. 'Playing With Fire' sprak nog wel aan, al is dat waarschijnlijk vooral door de herkenning van de 'Monkey Man' sample van de Stones. Anyway, als je sample-based muziek zoekt, dan biedt het jaar 1992 natuurlijk talloze andere artiesten die wel degelijk muzikaal talent hebben. 5/10 Highlights: Connected

De plaat heeft een lekkere vibe om een goed gesprek op te voeren of een lekker drankje te drinken in de zon. Maar zet de muziek dan vooral niet te hard. 5/10 Highlights Connected

I was gonna give it a 1, because it's not good. But then they had a song that repeated "you can't make it fade away" and the irony of it earned them another star.

Very dated. Great opening track, but everything is downhill from there. Lyrics are not great, and the overall sound just screams early 90s in a way I did not miss.

Starts off pretty fun but quickly loses steam.

Surprisingly good. Good lyrics and catchy beats.

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

yksiselitteisesti päheätä musiikkia. ei voi nuoret, nuoret sukupolvet lätistää tätä alas... seisoo ajan testissä.. hyviä wiboja ei mitään muuta piru vie piru vieköön teidät nuoret... ette voi pahoin tästä sanoa, pirulainen teidät kaapatkoon.. go to the left... now go to the right... move it up and freak it all the way down... do the twist... now do the shake... roll it all around... and then make the bake... yeah yeah yeah... jaha ja yhtä tähteä herrasmiehet ojentamassa.. taitaa uusintakuuntelu olla luvassa nimittäin album fun as hell connected

Enjoyed a few of the tracks, so 2 stars

surprisingly decent. maybe the first album on the list that I haven't listed to before but would absolutely listen to again.

Surprising slay

nothing earthshaking but it’s a nice vibe

Not bad but tiresome

I liked it but it wasnt my thing

Its was really in, then really out and now its really in again

Sounded like friendly hip-hop, a la Tribe Called Quest compared to NWA. I had a good time listening through this but albums like this show me that I prefer modern rap. I feel like a lot of complexity has been layered over the foundation of straight-forward beats and rhymes like the Stereo MC's are showcasing on this album, and that's a big reason I've been drawn to the genre.

Slick 4.2

Good songs but not a great album.

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

Was a little one dimensional but much better than I expected

Really Really good really well done, mad respect to everyone who worked on this album! just a little too slow and boring for met. Took me forever to get thru a single listen. like multiple tries

Ugh. Another early hip hop record that sounds just like every other early hip hop record. Boring.

I don't even need to hear this after I die either. Plus I've heard "Connected" enough times to last me multiple lifetimes.

8/10 fun! I like it

Recognised a few & enjoyed the rest of the album

dance music. bleh.

Very '90s and didn't age that well. But it slaps pretty hard nonetheless

#197. This isn't terrible or anything, but the thing of the thing is that I'm just not as nostalgic for weird obscure British nonsense as the maker of this list obviously is. To say that you need to listen to this before you die is a bit hyperbolic if you ask me. 3/5: fine Song added to playlist: Connected I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

Two consecutive early 90's rave albums, both of their time but enjoyable

Connected (the title song) is amazing. First heard it on the Hackers soundtrack and found this album from there.

Hadn't ever heard of this. Pretty inoffensive alt hip hop/trip hop that blends in to the background. It was totally fine, not really my jam.

Feels a bit like background music at times but is compelling enough to warrant a second listen.

A little outdated Not something I would listen to often. Songs are also a bit too long

Generic music but not bad

not really a british rap fan or trip hop? as this is classified as. But it was surprisingly enjoyable. may revisit.

Musa parani merkittävästi kun levyn jälkeen alkoi soimaan vastaava musa. Simppelit biitit eikä räbäyksessäkään kehuttavaa.

Perushyvä ja letkee. Sopivaa taustamusaa erilaisiin tekemisiin

I really enjoyed some of these tracks- they conjured up nights at the nightclub with flat beer and foxy babes and shadey guys in the corner I steered clear of. Happy days.

I recognize some of these songs from when I was younger (from movies and commercials). Not sure I would have thought to listen to it and not sure I will again. Not bad, just very much music of the time.

Doesn't belong in this list, all sounds the same. One hit wonders

🦶

So I didn't think I would know any of these songs since I didn't recognize thea artist's name or any of the tracks, but I recognized the opener in seconds. It's one of those songs where I'd bet that if you're 30 or older in an English speaking country, you somehow just know the song? I can't remember ever hearing it in a specific place or at a specific time in my childhood but somehow I knew most of the lyrics and felt like it was just...around when I was a kid? Everything else sounded sort of like that song. So I suppose if you like it, the rest of the album will be bearable, if not the most interesting. I can't see myself returning to this, but I appreciate it as a sort of proto-Gorillaz type piece of music history. I'm tempted to be frustrated since really only the opening track stood out to me in any way, but I suppose music history is really littered with one hit wonders and isn't music history what we're all here trying to learn about?

*British people hear a type of music* https://giphy.com/gifs/hero0fwar-tim-and-eric-5wWf7GMbT1ZUGTDdTqM The blues, R&B, reggae, sure, but rap?! The audacity of these people. You almost have to admire it. And the worst thing is that this album is pretty good. A bit insignificant for inclusion on a list like this, but I figure the author wanted to be sure every single British person who was alive in the 90’s was on here somewhere. But when the guy starts rapping it is almost as ridiculous as that album cover. Is that the top of a set of headphones or some type of cerebro-like mind power amplifying helmet? “Oi bruv, we gotta snake and the earth and mushrooms and a volcano but it’s missing summit, innit?” “How about a lightning bolt?” “Brilliant mate!” This album wasn’t bad. I knew the single and liked it alright and the rest of the album is pretty similar to it. Kinda silly but not bad. Better than a lot of other stuff on this list but not essential in my opinion. Still, there are worse ways to spend an hour.

Esto casi es un one hit wonder, además del Connected el Step it up. Pues en su momento tendría su gracia pero como imprescindible cuesta verlo.

It didn't bother me to turn it off, but I didn't focus too much on it. I feel it is best that way.

This was really nice. Hadn't heard before.

Some reasonably catchy beats at times, but overall pretty unremarkable ‘90s British jazzy hip hop. “Connected” is the strongest song on the album (and their most popular song by quite a bit). There’s a few other decent tracks, but it drags quite a bit at 53 minutes. I don’t have a ton to say about this, it wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t really my thing at all. Favorite song: Connected Other: Ground Level, Step It Up 3/30/24

Good

buen flow

Electronic music typically don't resonate with me unless they have lyrics I can sing along to...so this album was a pleasant surprise for me. The song Everything to me was everything in this album, electronic, 90's hip hop vibes and 70's jazz vibes, the back up singers, and a fife!

I enjoy the Stereo MC’s very early 90’s British electronic/rap vibe. It seemed so cutting edge at the time. This actually sounds like the soundtrack to MTV interviewing twenty-something’s about their sex lives for one of those “hip” 90’s sex documentaries they were so keen on producing back then. I would put this on to chill to or clean the house, or to reminisce about an MTV approved life I didn’t have at that time.

The first song (Connected) is such a blast from the 90s past. A fun kickoff. This album has a pretty unique sound. Feels like it straddles a line between the 80s and 90s, with a fusion of pop, new wave, and hip hop. It’s fun and bouncy and a good time.

mehhhhh. no real complaints here but it very much faded into the background

Im not listening to that album cover. Jk i did not care much for the style, seems quality enough but meh who cares at this point

first listen cool beats but sorta underwhelming

Class

See how you can have a mixed race band and not be woke?

One hit wonder in a Wonder Bread time of pop music

2.8 - It was fine, nothing that amazing and felt very repetitive in parts. Just didn't give me any emotion at all.

Not a baggy man myself. Didn't really hate this, but did find it a bit annoying, and very little grabbing me. Fave Tracks: Creation 2.4/5

Dos hits y después para escuchar de fondo

Good album by somewhat repetitive overall.

Really enjoyed it. Kinda exactly what i was expecting.

The quality of this album swings between the funky beats and the goofy ass british MC. The score lands on a moderate 3

White

Better than expected

It's that early 90's club hip hop

Pretty nice sounding album. Groovy. Overall though how it was on the list I wonder. It took a space from someone else.

Connected - 7.5/10 Ground Level - 7.5/10 Everything - 7/10 Sketch - 7.5/10 Fade Away - 7.5/10 All Night Long - 7/10 Step It Up - 7/10 Playing With Fire - 7/10 Pressure - 7.5/10 Chicken Shake - 7.5/10 Creation - 7/10 The End - 7/10 TOTAL - 80.5/120

Pleasantly surprised with this album, very funky vibe to it Top tracks: Step It Up, Pressure

No

Seems really dated. One hit song (in the early 90s) is no reason to add this album to the 1001 list.

This was a lot of fun. Nice triphop vibes and a lot better than the aggregate rating I say 3.5 out 5

this was a surprisingly fun and enjoyable album.

So hilarious when Brits attempt hip-hop. These assholes heard Public Enemy and made Muzak for The Gap

Bland, boring and instantly forgetable. That would mean 3 stars per my rating system 1 star - hated it 2 stars - disliked it 3 stars - meh 4 stars - liked it 5 stars - loved it But that would be unfair to other albums who got 3 stars so I decided that listening to this album meant that aprox. 50 minutes could have been spend listening to music that was more interresting than this. That is enough to dislike this album and give it 2 stars.

Good 90s hip hop album. I found myself bopping along to several of the songs.

This was an album new to me: I played it four times. I really quite enjoyed the record, though I felt it overstayed its welcome at nearly an hour.

Funky muziek die geen vlieg kwaad doet.

I thought this was awful in the 90s and I think it's even worse now. 70s odd years of popular music and this is in the top 1001 albums? I find that really hard to believe.

I feel like this album had to have provided some amount of inspiration for early Gorillaz. It's funkier than you would expect from an album of its time.

Good

I hope they made a lot of money from the advert, because the one-time ubiquity of 'Connected' via Vodaphone almost put me off listening to this... All that said. Nothing against this, but it speaks to me as indistinctly now as it did in 199-whatever. I think the problem is that the songs are in essence variations on an interesting but not inventive theme. It isn't an album that one really needs to pay a lot of attention to...

Fun album! Great to discover it :-)

I thought the first two songs were pretty good on this album, and a couple towards the end, but the middle was mostly what I expected - dance tracks that feel like they are from the 90's. The best parts of this album made me think of early Massive Attack or The Prodigy, but I'd definitely go to one of those bands before ever listening to the Stereo MC's, again. On a positive note, the album was still better than I expected, as I was expecting something more in the style of "Pump Up the Jam."

Not bad but extremely trapped in its time. 2.5/5

First I stumble, then I fall. Toddler triage trip hop from Britain. A stale tea leaf. Also, an hour long? If only ‘Pump up the Volume’ never existed, there may have been a place for whatever this is. 1/5

Bored throughout.

5/5: Connected, Sketch, Step it Up, Playing with Fire, The End 4/5: Ground Level, Creation. Rating: 4/5

As a naive child in the early 2000s, I heard the title track quite a bit on local radio and just assumed it was from the 80s given its old-school feel. The LP as a whole has certainly aged better than some of its compatriots, but the crossover component that enables this is also the album’s downfall. Every track sounds like a slight variation of the title track, and at the end of the day I’m scratching my head trying to think of one song that registered with me. Not a bad listen per se, but not really an engaging one either.

One of my favorites so far

I thought this was kind of boring. Easy to listen to, but nothing super innovative and all the songs tend to blend together. I did like the title track Connected, but then it was 50 kins of the same type of stuff.

Groovy beats, solid album.

Why does this album feel like it's 3 hours long? It's okay, but not sure it really belongs on this list. 3 stars.

Nice throwback dancy-Brit-hip hop joint that has held up surprisingly well.

kind of fun lovin' criminals

early triphop 1 smashhit…

An hour of 4 minute songs consisting of 16 bar loops. Boring and obnoxious

Un poco repetitivo.

Not a fan. Some sort of messed up hiphop that is not doing it at all.

I love this album. I’m going to put some of these on my playlist. I knew I would love this album as soon as it started. Reminds me of songs played to me as a kid

Had only heard the title track and Step It Up previous to this. Funky little album. Not quite acid jazz, but some nice hip-hop beats mixed with some jazz and synth loops.

Cool

⭐️⭐️it wasn’t terrible- vanilla sound- like a 70’s group brought into the 90’s, experimenting with music genres. It didn’t make me want to listen to any of their other music.

Bitte kein HipHop mehr. Das nervt.

Not really a classic in my book.

Dated sounding, mostly pointless, music where the beat is more important than any kind of songwriting skills.

This album felt like a precursor to Gorillaz or similar type of electronica meets hip hop. Really enjoyed this album.

I was digging the groove on the first run through but it did start to grind by the end of the second listen. Connected is great, I also enjoyed Fade Away and Step It Up.

I was kinda contemptuous of Stereo MC's at the time (and that apostrophe still makes my eye twitch) but I lived with someone in the early 2000s that liked them, so I guess I warmed to em a little, and have a certain amount of nostalgia now. They suffer horribly if you compare them with any proper trip-hop, but I guess they're not trying to be full trip-hop, just trip-hop adjacent? 🤷 Fave tracks - "Connected", I guess - it's not quite overplayed enough to grind my gears. "Playing With Fire" is probably their moodiest tune...

Okayish. Not bad but not impressive as well

This was an interesting album. A fusion of funk and hip hop, "Connected" is pleasantly surprising. This album performed quite well on the European charts.

Interesting music - 3 stars

Not for me

Super solid album.

Catchy beats and melodies, but overall pretty boring and nothing special.

Overall: I've only really ever heard the title track on this record. I vaguely recalled one other but hardly knew it. I had zero expectation for actually liking this record enough to get through the entire hour. But as I started paying closer attention to the lyrics, I found it to be quite brilliant that such controversial content was packaged up so well behind the dance beats. I can imagine people in the club dancing the night away without much knowledge of what words were driving into their brains repeatedly. Almost subliminal. I'm not too familiar with the success or response to this record, it'd be interesting to know what influence it may have had with people. I'd consider adding a few tracks to a playlist, or even putting this on while requiring something passive to groove to. Track Breakdown: Fade Away - it's super eerie how timely this lyric is in the US 2024 political lens .. "We're birds of a feather, bees of a sting, Listen to the words that the silo bring 'Cause we're livin' in the shadows of yesterday"

funky electrónico y fuera de mi estándar pero está genial

That's not my taste in musik. But ok

I have this on cassette, but alas no working tape deck. I liked this album a lot in HS, but hadn’t listened to it in decades. Still like some of the tracks, but feel a little bored by the bulk of the tracks. The success of this on mainstream radio did open the electronic pop music flood gates, so I suppose that is its legacy, that and funky flute. Younger me would have given it 4 stars, but older me realizes 2 stars is generous.

This wasn't bad but I know I'd never listen to it again. Completely not my style.

This was a great album, slightly overstayed its welcome with some very repetitive sounding tracks. Regardless, it was great to listen to whilst cracking on with some work - great vibe!

Was this great or well made music - no. Was it still lots of fun - yes! It was a bit long, but I really enjoyed it for the most part and plus I have a bit of a soft spot for dance music from the early-mid 90s (and rapping/singing with an English accent! ha ha) Great vibe for my morning walk today! Fave Track: Chicken Shake

One of those albums that will get you dancing even if you loathe dancing.

The Tidal link sent me to an album of the same name by an outfit called The Foreign Exchange, so I listened to that as well. They were both equally shit.

Preppy 🧑🏽‍🦳

I really enjoyed the atmosphere and clean beats as well as diversity throughout the album, great for almost any occasion in my opinion.

Particularly groovy

Groovy, kinda like a laid back British Hip Hop album. Definitely feels like it’s from the 90’s which is a bonus! 3.4

Did Not Listen, but remember the title track fondly as one of my faves to dance to at CHAOS nightclub, Southsea.

I wasn’t massively into this at the time. It’s okay, nice enough, a bit samey and a bit dated sounding. I don’t really think it should be on this list though. The Stereo MCs were sort of a one or two hit wonder, weren’t they? It makes me wonder if you could knock a few albums off this list and cover the essential songs by including a “NOW that’s what I call nineties hits!” album. And of course that would also have “Saturday Night” by Whigfield on it. (I’m assuming Whigfield’s album didn’t make the list!?) One star seems a bit harsh. It’s not that I hate it. It’s just I don’t plan to listen to it again. I got bored about four songs in.

It’s ok. Some good signature tunes.

Like the bite of a stale cracker

Listened Before? No Honestly unsure where I've heard Connected, but it is one of those songs that I never knew the artist for, but randomly pops into my head occasionally. Similar energy to the Sopranos intro song in a sense. Acid Jazz is such a comfy sounding genre. Hard to dislike when it is done well like this. Ground Level is basically just a monotone vocal delivery over a drum loop with splashes of piano, whistling, synth horns, and vocal samples. Doesn't really go anywhere, but its still an enjoyable listen. Let this one drift into the background for the rest of the listen. I wanted to like this one more out of the gate, but it lost steam and novelty quickly for me. Its an enjoyable, laid-back listen to be sure, but there weren't many standout moments that grabbed my ear. I appreciate being reconnected with Connected, but did not need an hour of this. 3 / 5 for some solid Acid Jazz. Added to Library? No

This album is what I expected Beck to be more like. Such a chill, head-bopping album. Nothing crazy exciting, but I was nodding along the whole time to the beat. The interspersed sax, guitar, and piano are great touches. The lyricist has great flow. Definitely thought this was a strong 4 star right out of the gate, but it slowly drifted down to 3.5. This one gets the nudge to 4 stars because I was certainly grooving the whole time and so that it can be my 1,000th star.

Beats were pretty good but I got bored of each song very quickly with how repetitive they were. The singer also was just kind of there in the song. Wish this was only a half hour long album.

This was much better than I expected going in. Definitely grooving just a little long for my taste

A 90s time capsule, chefs kiss

Elektronista tämmöistä loop hiphoppia. Ihan letkeetä menevää, mutta vähän toistavaa. Parhaat: Step It Up, Creation, Connected

3.5

A very bland and monotone record - I guess it’s an interesting curio as a crossover with 90s electronics pop, British hip hop and that earnest hippie culture and political activism that came with it - but as music - yawn.

Un poco repetitivo.

The titular song has been appropriated endlessly in the UK mainly for a certain telecommunications company which distracts somewhat from what is a solid album. I can remember listening to it as a young child and enjoying something that sounded completely new and fresh and it still has that air.

Overused in adverts in the 90s but actually quite good!

7/10. I liked this one. Had some smooth flow to it, and felt more soothing than boring. Lyrics were decently clever throughout which is always nice.

Ugh really not a fan of this. Just super repetitive and boring. 4/10

not catchy

I watched the video for “connected”. So much denim, I could almost smell it. And looking at the lead singer, no wonder I had such bad taste in men in the 90s. Thank goodness that changed (adding in case husband is reading…) As for the music, tbh it was quite dull. Hadn’t reached the “repetitive but good” heights of Fat Boy Slim and the like. Might be better if I was off my tits on Two Dogs or Hooch while listening.

There’s no doubt that yesterday’s Pink Floyd “Wish You Were Here” is a grown up, technically dense, varied and much more interesting album than Connected, however this is so much more fun. It bounces along with cool grooves and worthy, albeit extremely naive, lyrics. Vaguely superficial, light but very entertaining - in the same league as Dee-Lite, but more to my taste.

This was way better than I expected! I thought it'd be the kind of electronic/dance that I'd not enjoy, but it was very cool. It had that baggy, Hacienda style, partly thanks to the female backing vocals, but also the use of brass and extremely funky bass. It was also lyrically quite inventive, especially on Sketch, which was a highlight. The genre means it's never going to get the really big marks from me, but it was such a pleasant surprise. I'd put this on when I had people round and it was late at night, should that ever happen.

Dance music for a Mommy and Me class. Blah.

Eh not for me

British people probably fucked to this.

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

Classy album. Nearly a 4.

Very 90s, bit boring.

not good enough

Ok, feels a bit soulless

It was the definition of OK, felt very safe.

One of those albums where they had one great tune so put it at #1 and hope that will be people's lasting memory. Bloated album with one or two other catchy songs (Sketch) was alright but for the most part just drags on and on. Too many songs and most of those overrun. Glad it's over.

Hat mir gut gefallen. Lässige Songs. 4.0

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

Nicht schlecht, Herr Specht. 5.5/10

This kind of music doesn’t do much for me. It gets repetitive and boring very quickly. I mean, maybe it would be fun to make up some groovy dance moves to go along with it. I just couldn’t get into most of the songs.

I was kind of hopeful after the last trip-hop album, but this falls flat. It has some funky grooves that get stale quickly, and the vocals are bland and dry. Would not recommend.

Vuoden 1992 uusin lisäys hip hoppeiluun tässä ja nyt. Ei mitään yllätyksiä. Helpoin 1/5 heh Löytyy siis myös ne asiat ja pökäleet, jotka osoittautuivat huonoiksi lisäyksiksi. All night long biisistä hieno sample lahja eino antiwäkille heh Then.. Creation jysäyttää vaivallaan.. Holy moly song jaah noh rumpu soolo jaah noh... The end lopettaa albumin harmiillisen hyvin. Kaksi yritteliäintä biisiä ovat albumin lopussa.

pretty cool

Individual Ratings: 4.2 3 3.3 3.2 2 2 3.5 2.6 2.5 1.3 3 3.8 3.2 eh

boring and generic

I have this on vinyl from back in the day and used to play the singles when I was a DJ. I loved their sound and that dance/indie fusion that was around at the time. Playing it again now I still like it but across a whole album it drags a bit. It’s a good album, it’s just perhaps not as good as I remember. Or maybe music moved on.

Never heard of them. Liked it. Nice to bounce to at the standing desk. Would have bet money it was 80's tho...

A highly irritating album. The first song and I think the hit struck me as a rip of Happy Mondays... But I could be wrong. Very samey and annoying

I saw Chole's review and she's right, this is just a copy of Happy Monday's. So similar. Like A Bug's Life is to Antz, this is just a lesser version of something great.

The album Connected is a great party album with an upbeat, positive, and consistently good listen . The album offers a seamless blending of hip-hop, funk, soul, and rock'n'roll, and the goosebump-inducing vocal harmonies . The album has a hypnotic quality of dance music, the attitude of hip-hop, and its vocals were unplaceable . The album has a fantastic pop group with fantastic pop songs . The album has a good production quality and the lyrics are well written . The title track "Connected" is a testament to the unifying power of music, its influence on humanity, and the deep-seated connection between people . The song has an infectious rhythm and electrifying energy that has made it timeless . The song has been used in ads for The Carphone Warehouse and has featured in film soundtracks . The song has become so recognizable that it has been covered by many artists Overall, Connected by Stereo MC's is a great album that offers a seamless blending of hip-hop, funk, soul, and rock'n'roll. The album has a good production quality and the lyrics are well written. The title track "Connected" is a testament to the unifying power of music and has an infectious rhythm and electrifying energy that has made it timeless. Pros: Offers a seamless blending of hip-hop, funk, soul, and rock'n'roll Good production quality Well-written lyrics The title track "Connected" is a testament to the unifying power of music and has an infectious rhythm and electrifying energy that has made it timeless Cons: Some reviewers have criticized the album for being a party album without much substance Some tracks on the album may not be as impressive as others

Like listening to Unbelievable by EMF on repeat for an hour. Probably could have died without hearing this but still pretty good in a cheesy 90s whiteboy hip-hop kind of way.

Connected is in the movie Hackers. Pretty cool song. But like a lot of early 90s electronic music, this all sounds pretty samey. Fun enough, but really nothing special.

A fun listen

Ja pretty good niet heel bijzonder

interesting sound, better than I remembered. Connected is a good song.

It's alright... pub music.

Barem 3.5

at least it wasn't more 80's.

I really think this is one of the more underrated albums of the 90s. It really gave birth to a lot of the lo-fi hip-hop sounds.

Yeah, pretty unessential.

Barreja de música dance amb acid jazz, hip hop i house del momengt, tot plegat molt britànic. No està malament, sobretot en els seus millors moments ('One Step Up', 'Connected'), però queda lluny d'acumular grans mèrits

Very good album with some great songs

Good mix and feel, easy listening and good album.

This is what I remember 90s dance hip hop being. A little jazzy a little funky honestly not a bad album but I don't see myself coming back to this. Nothing is really standing out for me Repeats: Connected, Creation Skips:

Completely forgot this.It was generic rapping I think with Basic Beats,no idea why it’s here.

Nudne

So it turns out that "Connected" and "Step it up" are two different songs.

It sounds so dated now but it sounded so fresh at the time.

Anyone growing up in the 90's probably dance or seen people dance to Connected and Step it Up. Heard these songs countless times but first time every listening to this album. It's decent though at the 40 min it starts getting a bit old. Well, I doubt it's the last time I'll hear the song Connected, however the album Connected, probably the last time.

I’m sure this was pretty cool at the time but pretty run of the mill at this listen.

Connected is pretty good and I've heard it a bunch. The rest of the album is ok.

It's fine. It sort of sounds like what I expect everything in a city in England would sound like in the mid 90s. Couple of good songs but the whole album is a bit much.

So very 90s. A couple of tracks that are objectively good, although not my cup of tea. I liked the songs when I was 9 though? Does that mean I need to give this album a decent rating? I think not.

I have a good relationship with my girlfriend’s mother. She’s kind, thoughtful, laughs a lot, cooks a good chilli. And our music tastes have some great overlap: we share the same favourite song on the same favourite album (“You Never Give Me Your Money”, “Abbey Road”) and adore Kate Bush, Talking Heads, Tom Waits, Bjork and “Pet Sounds”. But every now and then there’s a snag: she has some unforgivable, controversial opinions. I’ve managed six years without writing at length about those opinions on the Internet, but today I had to wrestle with my utter bafflement over her taste. Here it comes… “Connected” by Stereo MCs is featured in her top 20 albums of all time. She’s fifty-nine years old. How does this happen to a person? Hoping for the best - maybe another “Pet Sounds” or “Abbey Road” for us to bond over - I went in with open ears and an open mind. I listened for an album that I might be willing to also place in my top twenty in thirty years time. And I found absolutely nothing. “Connected” is one hour long and it feels every second. Each track consists of hollow, synthetic drum loops, weedy vocals repeating the same handful of phrases, dated 90’s production (scratching, dub-style basslines, synth samples). I’ll reserve thin, hollow praise for the title track, as well as “Fade Away”, “Step It Up” and “Pressure” (nice backing vocals, percussion, brass, a bit more akin to songs than extended dance workouts). But the rest? A hell of a struggle. A final note on my girlfriend’s mother, the heart of my review. I’m aware there’s some irony in me slagging off her taste when I’ve given albums by Yes and Genesis five stars. I’m fully ready to accept that on an objective level, I may be less cool than my mother-in-law-to-be. But I’d rather live with that than give “Connected” too many more listens. Next time I go round there I’m going to hide the CD under the sink and choose some Bjork instead.

Okay, from what I can see, this is not The Foreign Exchange's Connected. I don't know if this was a rather poor inside joke or... regardless, Stereo MC's Connected is a rather splendid trek in the possibilities that the early 90s had to offer in regards to eclecticism and musical versatility. When it hits, it hits and, as it does, you'll want to clamor for a little more. A vast, wondrous landscape indeed. Favorites: Connected, Ground Level, Everything, Sketch, Fade Away, Playing With Fire, Don't Let Up.

Blind album and artist. It's okay, and that's pretty much all I have to say. Mediocre, as the youts would say... "mid". Electronic Hip Hop and pretty much all filler.

"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?!

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

this is not good. It is not as bad as hands guy on the cover suggests it might be - at least the title track, anyway, because I'm not bothering with more than that. This doesn't quite get a 1 because it doesn't enrage me, wouldn't cross the room just to turn it off. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

I’m not cool enough to understand this music

You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but this one, you probably can.

-have never heard of these guys -this first song is very catchy -i am really liking all these songs so far -the lyrics are actually super powerful and moving -i don’t really like his voice and i think its taking me out of it a bit -they’re good songs but not super my vibe -overall i did enjoy the album

It definitely grew on me. First half comes off incredibly corny, especially with the lead track sounding like every 90s commercial. Second half had me in a groove and a little sad that it ended.

Not good

Electronic dance music is annoying. Very familiar with the first song and thought it was OK. By the time I got to song #3, I was over it and ready for the next listen. I did only listen 1 time, but there's nothing I'm going to find enjoyable with any additional listens. Another album I just have to say, not for me. 2

I enjoyed this a lot. The lo-fi hip hop sound is very groovy. Reminds me a lot of The Streets which is another album I enjoyed a lot. Like most albums on this list I think it outstays its welcome by about 10 minutes. Short of that though good stuff! 4

3 Less remarkable Massive Attack. There’s nothing here I would describe as unenjoyable, but it also doesn’t feel like anything I haven’t heard before. The title track was probably my favorite of the bunch, but outside of that, I don’t think there’s anything I could point to as being particularly re-listenable or even commentable if I tried. If I had to use one word to summarize this album, it would probably be “forgettable”. But hell, I’d take a forgettable album any day over having another album like Suicide… at least nothing here is going to haunt my dreams for the foreseeable future.

Beats were mediocre and it only got worse when the guy started “rapping” over them.

2 very good songs and that’s all. Doesn’t age well

I don't know if they are bad at rapping if they are bad at sampling, or if they are bad at making music. The only thing I know is that this is a bad album.

Actually pretty good. I liked the sound of them.

3.7 nokså bra album

Blije triphop, het klinkt gelukkig niet zo blikkerig als andere computermuziek uit de vroege jaren negentig. Aan de andere kant is dit genre door anderen later beter gedaan. Dit clubje maakt niet zoveel indruk.