Connected

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

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.

Not very enjoyable. Music wasn’t engaging, lyrics weren’t grabbing

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.

Smooth, takes its time. Rapping sounds dated, but pleasant.

It was ok. Had two songs I knew from the 90’s. The rest was meh.

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.

Tends to sound the same after a few songs. Ok

Lower key dance beats, loops upon loops and rap/sing/rap stanzas. A simple formula for a decent album.

What an outstanding slice of 90s dance music this is. Listening to it is like time travel to a more carefree time.

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.

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.

Thought it was going to be better but hasn’t aged that well

Has it's moments. Very groovy, and up my alley but gets a bit repetitive after a while.

Good beats. Nice grooves. Cool flows. Might have been more impressive in the early 90s uk.

Production quality is very high, but this didn't really stick to me.

I don't think this is a bad album. I just respectfully do not think it is for me at all. I didn't mind, but I could also do without. Also, kind of hate the sound of the dudes rapping on this. Sounds a bit like gentrification to me. amd I hate it for that. but isn't a 0.

it's aight 2

I agree with one of the critical reviews. This album was nice to listen to but quite forgettable. It felt like elevator music.

Tri jer connected. Ostalo je jako mlaka verzija happy mondays bez ludila ikakvog i klišejiziranim hipi dipi tekstovima

Good music very 90s

Loved the album. Certainly a work of its time. "Connected" is an absolute classic.

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

Oh this album is so of its time. And I’m (slightly) too young to have nostalgia for this one. I’m sure if I was in university in the 90s I would have loved this

This is very catchy....but so is Covid

Great electronic bops

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah = No, No, No. Why can't I take dance music serious? I pictured SNL skits, all the way through this listen, with even more vapid lyrics.

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

5/10

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.

-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

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.

Fine, but not long after I finished it I immediately couldn't remember a thing and instead had "The Power" in my head instead. Otherwise, the sound of a scene set in a club in the 90s

Not a fan

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!

Extremely forgettable, an hour after hearing this I forgot I had listened to it. I guess technically it’s hip hop, but it’s more like rapping over techno beats. And surprise, it’s British, so it’s taking a precious slot in the hip hop genre over so many more deserving. We had another techno album not too long ago, “jungle” was the genre, this is like that with vocals. Not my style, don’t need it on the list. Favorite tracks: Pressure, Creation. Album art: Really enjoy the colors and art here, even if the pic in the middle of it all is painfully ‘90s. 1.5/5

Nameless UK techno/rap/funk/whatever. I was bored before the first song even finished, and it goes for an hour (because of course it does). 1/5.

Grooooovy.

Devo dire che l'hip hop non mi piace molto. Ha dei ritmi estremamente semplici. Mi piacciono molto gli ottoni quando fanno capolino.

surprisingly good! had me dancing from the start - rap was very 90's - in a good way

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

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.

Very very cool album. Ending's a bit weak but overall really good.

Not as bad as the other reviews think, just casual east listening. Kind of reminded me of Cake. Not something I’d search out, but better than other albums I’ve given a 3 to.

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?

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

6/10

Oh, that song. This was alright, don't find a lot of cause to listen to this kind of thing though.

"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

A few good tunes but I wouldn't call it an essential album.

90s carphone warehouse advert song

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.

Really liked this and will definitely listen again.

Some wicked sounds couple of duds but top overall

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.

Dance, hip hop. No está mal

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.

Sounds very dated, although probably in a nostalgic way for anyone who liked it at the time. I only knew 2 songs before listening to the album, and didn't really feel connected (!) to them or any others afterwards

It's alright, definitely not the worst album I've come across so far. I don't want to listen to a full hour of it. Should definitely be on the list of ugliest album covers ever.

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

Great 90's music lol

It's not my genre, and I would be subjective, but Fade away is really good track:)

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!

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.

Not bad Not bad

Love this group!

It was no bad decent for background music

Great!

Solid enough and full of nostalgia.

A couple of great songs and little to dislike throughout

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.

Está movido y pegajoso el ritmo. Siento que era una canción larga e interminable, como que todas las canciones sonaban igual.

Very good

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

Interesting fusion of house and hip-hop. The visible - or rather audible - weld isn't a bad thing, but it does draw attention to the material on either side. The beats are good background music but hardly inspiring. The rapping is of its time as well. It's a solid hour of music, but doesn't seem notable.

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

Dad then open for Happy Mondays. Fun album.

// Favs: Creation / The End Score: Decent 3

needs to be on this list?

Good listen. Surprised me. Won't listen all the time but good nostalgia.

this probably went hard in a london club in 1993, but its kinda unmemorable now

Surprisingly good, kinda kitch but good.

Good album…not quite my style…

Recognised only the first track from the 1995 classic Hackers, but enjoyed the album overall - very chill

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

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

funky and fun. I'm a sucker for those guitar riffs over a beat

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

Not bad, but not for me.

That single Connected is so damn good. Need to listen to more from the album.

It was not my favorite. Couldn't really make it past the first couple tracks.

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

Felt very of the age, but a good flow on the album that I did enjoy

I did not enjoy this. Wasn't my thing.

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.

Tip top British funk, disco, jam

The grooves were pretty similar. Funk dance rap just isnt for me

👎👎

Preachy as shit, woke before woke was a thing

dunno yet

Oh man, this thing aged badly.

Ziemlich cool!

Cool

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.

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.

Vibey but forgettable.

Great 90s music. Made me nostalgic.

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

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’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.

Not what I would typically describe as up my alley but I enjoyed this one

Toch echt het openingsnummer wat me het meest aanspreekt, daarna haakte ik na 5 nummers wel af.

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

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

Niet helemaal tot het einde kunnen draaien, maar erg leuk en fris.

Leuk plaatje wel. Zou het zelf niet zo snel opzetten, maar kan dit wel waarderen.

Yeah! Eindelijk eens iets écht leuks wat ik nog niet kende!

Vrolijk.

This one really didn't hit me.

One dimensional

2 bangers, then the rest was ok

Don't really remember it tbf

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

This was pretty vibey and cool

Blast from the past. Little bit of it's time but some of still sounds great.

It sounds its age but still pretty good. Some definite bangers and good rhythms all the way through

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.

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

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.

stereotypical 90s electronic. fits a vibe for sure, but no meat

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

“Connected” by Stereo MC’s (1992) It’s almost embarrassing to listen to the British so desperately attempt to cash in on authentically American art. On this album, the funk is too clunky. The drums are way too mechanical. Horns sound like a suburban high school lab band. Some nice compositional grooves, but poorly performed, with super weak vocals, (especially the backing vocals, which seem to have been recruited on the basis of something other than talent). Lyrics are plastic, with faux Ebonic appropriations that prompt a cringe. Listen to the main rap in “Everything” or “Sketch” and tell me if the unsuccessfully suppressed British accent doesn’t give you the heebie jeebies. Let me boil this down: Two white British guys making money pretending to be East or West coast urban rebels. Sheesh. I just wasted an hour. 1/5

Connected is a bop for sure. yea this album fades into a funky backbeat groovathon.

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.

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

This sound did not date well.

First song, "Connect", is not bad. "Step it Up" is also good. Acid jazz/hip hop kind of sound. 5/10.

Good fun.

this is very good old hip hop

It reminded me of R&B when I was 5 y/o, interesting but nothing remarkable

Predictable and lacks anything worth remembering.

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

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.

Nice

Gefällt mir recht gut - 3

3.5 :p

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 ^^

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.

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.

I really should have owned this cassette, damn

That was the album I needed today.

Not bad. Kinda like a proto-, poppies version of Thievery Corporation. Connected is still a banger!

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...

Repetitive and a bit boring

Good writing but couldn't get into it

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

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.

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 really my kind of album, but not terrible

Really liked this 90s electronic sound.

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.

pretty much essential 90's, not bad but nothing great either

Well, this was an unexpected find. I loved it.

Cool hits but not my cup of tea.

Chill

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.

Naff

leuk album funky 3/5

Boring, incredibly repetitive....

Much better than I had expected

Really awful, could not listen the whole thing.

How is this album on this list?

Kender du typen intro(!), rytmisk, hiphop-beats, melodisk

okay

I liked this album - it felt old-school.

Super generic

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.