Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Total snooze fest
Sounds like something that was released 50 years ago
boring sappy waste thought this would be Celine dion for a full 5 seconds
Thoughts before listening: I know absolutely nothing about Dion. I'm going to say it's 70s singer songwriter style soft rock based on the cover, although I'd assume it's got something else going for it to end up on this list. Review: So this is the 50s doo-wop guy of Dion and the Belmonts with a singer songwriter album produced by Phil Spector. Apparently this was mostly ignored in its time, but started getting name dropped as an influence in the 90s from some big time musicians. Its just fine to me. Pretty understated for a Phil Specter project, and none of the songs are really standing out to me. I think the best one I heard was "Your Own Backyard" which I have added to my playlist. Overall this is pretty boring and I'm giving it 2-stars.
Celine Dion Dion Dion Dublin Dionne Warwick Dionny Osmond 3.4
Hey Dion I thought you only did The Wanderer, this isn't half bad 1970s singer songwriter stuff. Shades of mid-70s Lennon and Simon.
nice soft rock vibe. i had never heard of Dion. Tucker said he’s music in the fifties.
Not bad, but not very interesting either. No real standout songs. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
Utterly wretched. I think I would have preferred Celine Dion to this.
I think all of this was new music to me. An ok listen but nothing that memorable for me.
Didn't want to like this as much as I did (which still wasn't much). I was surprised by some nice, smooth bass runs (If I can Just Get Through). Saxophone saved some songs (eg. Born to Be with You). Ended up adding More to You to my music because of how airy-jazzy-funky it was.
This is the first 1001 Albums listen that I'm rating a 1. I'm not really sure what makes this notable and it doesn't feel like its inclusion on the list is really justified. Although, "Your Own Back Yard" is kind of interesting for being maybe the most drugs-forward song I've ever heard ("I can quit; let me finish what I got / After all, this stuff sure costs a lot"). The streaming service where I listened to Born To Be With You had it and Dion's next album, Streetheart, combined onto one. The Streetheart tracks seemed more interesting.
If bland corporate coffee shops were a thing in the 70s this it what they'd be playing
3.5
"Dion effectively disowned the record" and so should you.
Pleasant surprise.
I just really like young Dion (old Dion?) so even though this wasn’t quite to my tastes it was perfectly okay. I’d be happy if my mom really liked this or something.
Inoffensive and boring really 1.5 stars
Annoying voice , dreadful songs. couldn’t get into it
Reminded me of Spriritualized, who I am very fond of.
WTF is this country twanging bullshit coming from a boy from Belmont Avenue? This is terrible. There’s a good dose of Christian rock. How TF did Phil Spector produce Christian music? This is really schmaltzy and unsettling. It’s the kind of music you might hear at, what you later find out is, a cult. Stopping before I get converted and join a commune. 1/5
Oh how I wish he was born to shut the fuck up instead. Always funny to see someone's 14th album on this list. Do you mean to tell me that this was so groundbreakingly better than his first 13? Very bland and boring. Nothing music.
Enjoyable album, good songs.
Not my cup of tea
Not terrible but not good either. Why is this on this list ? Nobody seems to have liked it when it was released not even the artist himself. The fact that one musician I have never heard of from a band I have never heard of either doesn't seem like a good enough reason.
Standard 70s male songfest, DEF not my style, not something I would have listened to back then, and not really something is listen to now, but I can tolerate it better now than I would have then. I'll give the guy 2 stars for doing something meaningful with his time.
This stunk
Kinda my vibe Fjm-esque
Absolutely awful. Completely terrible. A complete waste.
Wow! OK so I’ve recognized several of the songs on this album but never heard of the artist. What a singer, and l assume he wrote some or most of these songs. 3.4
I can't really find anything redeeming about this. Soulless, boring music.
I'm usually disappointed to see yet another 70s album pop up but this one was actually pretty cool. I liked the use of strings
5.5/10
Boring, repetitive, and the lyrics are kinda icky
Artiste inconnu. Les chorus de sax du premier morceau sont une bonne surprise, mais ... la surprise s'arrête malheureusement au premier morceau, je regrette d'être allé au bout pour le vérifier. =>1/5
I have literally almost no opinion of this album. It was kind of just on while I started work.
Just a reminder, when you listen on spotify, it merges a second album as part of this one, but the original is only the first 8 tracks. I would recommend you only listen to those 8 and not subject yourself to 1hr 15mins of this one and move on to the next
I liked it, although it’s a bit anemic, like he’s phoning it in.
This is total shit, and there is a lot of it. The fact that this is the 14th record by this guy is wild to me. His artist bio in Spotify and his 2.7 Million monthly listeners is baffling to me. Who the fuck is listening to soulless garbage pop from the 70's?
as it was mentioned in the wiki page of this album, it really sounds a bit like a "funeral music".
This was an easy going listen, I enjoyed the covers including, The Whole World In His Hands and The Way You Do The Things You Do. I also enjoyed the sax on Streetheart. Yet still this wasn't really up my alley. Good music just not for me.
No thanks.
Surprised. Never heard of this until now. I dig the Phil Spector sound. Solid vocals. Awesome.
First half of this album was insanely boring. 2nd half picked up a bit and a handful of songs were decent Album was way too long for my liking though. Bit of a snooze fest 3 ⭐️
couple of my friends love it, i thought it was aight
I thoroughly enjoyed this. The type of white boy soul / pop that connects with my white boy soul / pop preferences.
Heat
When I question some of the glaring omissions of this list, it's useful to have reference points: How did [Discovery / Blue Album / In the Aeroplane Over The Sea] not make the book when Dion did? So bland and generic it's actually offensive.
Always a bad time to be confronted with the era of songwriting where you're incessantly and exclusively calling the object of your lust "Little Girl," and goes double for something like this where the goal doesn't seem to have been getting sleazy in the first place
I really don't get the hate for this album. Not sure it's my thing, but it's certainly competent. I absolutely love the Phil Spector sound. Everyone knows why he's a terrible human being, but man was he good at producing music.
Pure shite
A record so heartbroken, that it felt comical to me after three songs. I couldn't help but to burst out in laughter for the rest of the album. Ballad after ballad after ballad after ballad after ballad after ballad after ballad And then finally one song to make you feel half alive.
Yeah not for me...
This album sucks. A few songs have bits that I enjoy but the overall product just isn't for me. I feel like there's so many better listening choices. Also, why is there 20 songs? 1hr 18mins is way too long for an album. I doubt I'll ever listen to anything from this album again.
A noble trainwreck. The song choice is scattershot, never settling on smooth adult pop or something deeper and more confessional. There's little in the way of Dion or Phil Spector high spots or moments of flashing their skill. Everything feels....functional? Definitely worth another listen, but I'll give it time
Not for me
It's like Elton John but bad
This was a pleasant surprise
Boring
So much of this album almost works I can’t put my finger on exactly why it doesn’t.
Pas un mauvais album, mais je me demande comment il se démarque de beaucoup des albums auteurs-compositeurs que j'ai entendu par le passé. Un bon moment mais rien de mémorable. 6/10
It was OK and didn't really click with anything
Overall inoffensive and fine. Unremarkable and easy listen. Nothing really stood out, but nothing was that bad. Just an album that is not for me.
No bad, kind of chill music. Nothing real memorable to me but it would be nice background music. I like his earlier work a lot more and I'm not so familiar with this later stuff but I will have to give it a chance.
Pretty good. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would
Same sort of situation as yesterday’s album by The Police - objectively it’s fine, but I didn’t enjoy it at all. Very bland and unnecessarily long.
Great voice. Mediocre songs. Love "The way you do the things you do" but this version is too slow. Overall, a perfectly pleasant album.
2/5. The songs are nice and chill but feels so unoriginal. The wall of sound offered by Phil Spector drives this album because the songs are pretty generic. It's an album I might find in thrift store playing on the speakers, not sure I would have needed to listen to this one but it wasn't terrible. Best Song: Born To Be With You, New York City Song, Make The Woman Love Me
Eh, it's fine? I didn't enjoy this, but it's not exactly bad music.
WTF why? Your Own Back Yard is a little bit of Velvet Underground smack music which is cool, I guess.
Very good, if you are in the mood.
interesting, appealing but not quite captivating cant believe this is the same guy who hugs em and kisses em 'cause to him they're all the same
This should not be over an hour. What a snoozefest. Phil Spector was such a one trick pony when it came to production, and his other tricks... well, let's not go there.
I get it, Dion DiMucci is a legend for the depth and breadth of what he conveyed in his expressive musical styles. Also that this specific record, 1 of ~40 he released in his career, was prominently produced by Phil Spector, who should have added more dimension to the sound, but may have left it more flat. To my taste this feels so earnest and self-indulgent, not to mention conveying creepy 'romantic' tactless male manipulation, warbling "Make the woman love me, and I'll take care of the rest..." The vocal style (at least on this record) reminds me of Mick Hucknall of Simply Red, another unnervingly over-earnest crooner. Yes, this record is noteworthy, but not on my list.
Lovely stuff. I'd never even heard this artist's name until this, but I've heard runaround Sue millions of times in my youth.
Meh. Boring.
Mediocre.
Quite annoying whining
barf
I’m sorry to write this is a clear example of mediocrity. The songs are boring and uninteresting and even the production by Phil Spector is forgettable.
classic
Dion was right, this is funeral music.
Man, this was really great. "New York City Song" and "Your Own Back Yard" were excellent.
I thought this was kind of boring and badly produced(?). Especially "Whole World In His Hands" sounded very tinny. I kinda liked the blend between '60s folk and '70s soft rock (again ? idk how to talk about genres) but nothing really stood out to me.
First thought was Who? Second thought was What an extraordinarily 70s record sleeve. Then I started the album. It is indeed lush. Some of it reminds me a little of Dennis Wilson's Pacific Ocean Blue. Title track and Whole World stand out. Some of it disappears into the background. Not bad. Solid middle score. Second half of this link on Spotify is the following album, I stopped at track 8 here.
Suave
it never really occurred to me that the doo wop guys would continue making music and evolving. this was nothing special but it was kinda cool
This is alright. I think I prefer his 60s stuff though.
Kangol hat wearing ass
It’s infuriating they went with this album OVER “Runaround Sue”. This album, after listening, is completely forgettable with nothing that stands out. Not sure what there's even to say about this, honestly. This is certainly an album. Much too long and never justifies its length. Just keeps going for some reason. Unoriginal. 2/5
Rains coming but 5. Never heard of this guy till now but this album for me is great. Not the best vocals but lyrics and music is right there.
Another in a long list of albums that ripped off their song entirely from the black community, spruced it up with good production and sold it to the Mayo Americans. I can see how this album is historically relevant, but good lord why would I ever sit down and listen to this in 2024 (the year of our lord.)
I've never been much of a Dion fan. This album reminds me why.
Somehow only the second worst thing that Phil Spector ever did.
Had to look into who Dion is to confirm he is the same "Runaround Sue" / "I'm the Wanderer" guy from the doo wop era. Like a handful of other doo wop artists such as Ricky Nelson, he kept on trucking through the 70's trying to find his own stylistic way in the changing environments. There are a few knods to his doo wop past throughout such as the first drum beat, straight out of track 1. There's a comforting 70's rock feel to this, which is surprising considering Phil Spector produced it. Where he usually sounds larger than life, in this case he allows Dion's flickering introspection to light the way. These tracks are real reflective, like a man who never expected to live long enough to count the chips he's got left. Despite all that, it never lands as completely dour, there's a hopeful acceptance that feels balanced and easy to embrace. Bonus- Spotify has this grouped with a followup "Streetheart" which is total 70's AOR yacht rock stuff, although it's different vibe, is also totally awesome.
Discovered this album quite some years ago, and in my memory it was a 5-star record - after all some songs sound like a blueprint for a band like Spiritualized - but other songs are a bit less special. score: 8/10
After listening a couple of times the careful arrangements become apparent but the overall impression remains rather dull.
I liked it. Perhaps it's more Spector than Dion to me. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's the thing that it is.
Not so terrible, but really not special. Even though he predates James Taylor it felt like wannabe James Taylor?
Extremely meh. Can’t really remember anything about the album <24 hours later.
Horrendous
Not too spectacular but pleasant throughout Very hard for me to believe this is the Runaround Sue guy
Sometimes easy listening ain't so easy.
A mushy, boring and almost unlistenable mess. What is this turkey doing on the list? Dion made some timeless music in his day. This ain't it, chief.
So so bland. I can't really even remember listening to this.
Elevator muzak.
It was kind of boring at first but I got more into it as the album progressed. Kind of reminder me of John Lennon solo stuff?
middle of the round
I liked this more than I should. Won't come back to it, but he has his charm.
Mercifully short
Enjoyed this - not an essential listen I'll revisit soon, but a mature set of songs with some fun production flourishes.
I didnt expect to like this much. I ended up enjoying a decent amount of it and it never got bad, just not to my liking. I feel like a 3 is almost too low but a 4 is too high. It is an iron man of a 3
Some good stuff on here. Some. It so good stuff on here. Some weird stuff on here. It’s so interesting to me how certain performers do their thing in this way and are both super famous but also not as famous as they “should” or at least could be. Weird.
Like this more than I thought I would. There are a couple of songs I knew. A lot I didn’t. I’d put this on in the background, I think. 3 seems too low. 4 too high. But I’ll round up to 4.
Not a huge fan ...never heard of this dude
Dull as dishwater. Not in the mood for this today.
id heard the name but never the music. enjoyed it, not for everyday but worth another listen
beautiful and soothing classic rock that really makes you feel nostalgic and happy - i don't come across stuff like this often, but i really like it.
This felt like some sleepy, corny 70’s pop that was for a very specific audience that definitely wouldn’t have included me upon its release. This felt like some guy who thought he could rock and also be emotionally vulnerable made an album but wasn’t sure who he was making it for. This was booooorrrrrrring. And far too clean sounding to have any kind of real soul or heart in it. I know that’s probably a consequence of Phil Spector’s involvement, but still. I just really didn’t vibe with this. It was whiny at times, had jarring tone shifts song to song, and lacked any real heart or soul. Anyway, whatever. 2 stars. Standout track: Good Lovin’ Man
This was really bad. Just so boring. Not bad enough to give it 1 star though. I’m tempted to because the Spotify version includes his next album Streetheart as well and I accidentally listened to almost the entire thing.
Beautiful ballads and songs that rock and move and make you want to dance. So many genres are spanned on this album with BeeGees, the Eagles, disco, and even Simon and Garfunkle adjacent songs. I have never heard of this singer, but what an excellent song writer. Production is outstanding with supremely awesome backing instruments. This album is a banger and feels like it could be the Guardians of the Galaxy Pt 4 soundtrack.
I can appreciate the older mid 70's style but it did not break through for me
Amazing
An interesting curio. Producer Phil Spector's trademark "wall of sound" is so murky and echoey on this one it's as if said wall was made out of fog, goo or radioactive material. Quite a decadent atmosphere, probably explaining why the album was revisited again during the nineties, and somewhat put to the spotlight. Two tracks were not recorded by Spector by the way, and it's easy to spot which ones they are given that they stick out like blasted thumbs within the track list. And the album feels "weird" because of that as well. It's not even as cohesive as it could have been. Worse, the songs--whether originals or covers--are lengthy and often quite boring. Appropriately moody, off-kilter sonic aesthetics are one thing. But genuinelly interesting or thrilling compositions and arrangements are another. Plus, Dion's vocal performance sounds stilited or borderline hackneyed most of the time, as spotless as this performance is on a "technical" level. Waiting for the release of the book "The 1001 *Long-Format Curios* You Need To Listen To Before You Die" to finally revisit this record one day. Or not. In the meantime... 1.5/5 for the purposes of this list, rounded DOWN to a 1/5 grade, because... you know... Phil Spector, his conviction for murder, his lifetime of abuse of the ones living close to him and everything... Of couse, Dion has nothing to do with this. But still... Spector's ghost looms over this record so much. That 1.5/5 grade translates to a 6.5/10 grade for more general purposes, by the way.ther way for me to say that I still consider *Born To Be With You* as a Dion album. Number of albums left to review: 228 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 332 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 197 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 250 (including this one)
After reading the calibre of artists citing it as an influence, then listening to the opening track, which I enjoyed, I thought I was on something but I'm afraid it was a sharp decline after that & the 'like' button went undisturbed for the remainder of the album.
This was weird in a wonderful 70s fever dream way. It reminded me of John Lennon's solo work - a fair amount of meandering with different genres and covers of songs. Honestly, I liked it. The album sounds like something my hip aunts & uncles would've listened to while chilling & smoking pot. I listened twice & I'll listen again. It's quirky enough to be interesting.
Listened to the eight original tracks. Sounded like standard ‘70s Neil Diamond type pop. I’d rather hear Dion’s older stuff like Runaround Sue.
The first half was kinda mid but the second half was really good I thought. Enjoyed it a lot
got better as it went, a little long
This isn't bad, and I get why Jarvis and Pulp were into it - lumbering grooves that sound like proto-Pulp singalongs.
expected a lot worse
I don't get it
Runaway Man and If I can Just Get Through The Night are two okay tracks. In general, I found this album to be very average. Some solid bass lines on the second half of the album, but I didn’t enjoy the almost solely ballad vibe of the album. 2/5.
Pretty bad (ch)easy listening. '(He's Got) The Whole World in His Hands' sounds like B-Side to David Brent's 'If You Don't Know Me By Now' (no you don't, no). Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: Only You Know Date listened: 08/04/24
Uninspired pop ballads. Another one of those listen-once-and-forget-it-immediately albums.
I know one Dion song off this album, Only You Know, but I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was a discovery playlist but it really reminds me of moving back to Brighton in 2017. Good song! I enjoyed plenty of this album but found it too long by the end. Too many songs that sound similar.. but overall nice solid song writing I'd say
Found it a bit bland and unmemorable, not bad just nothing special
Ok
Not bad. A bit sleepy.
Nice album in another singer-songwriter - style.
I never considered how long a career Dion had until I listened to this album. 100% grade A American 1970s contemporary. All the songs seem really well developed and layered to envoke a somber melancholy, but in a pain-is-beautiful way. This one surpised me in its quality and quantity. However, its relatively boring and drab.
Soft rock at a pretty high level, approaching but never reaching fully Spectorian shlock. "Only You Know" and "NYC Song" are lovely. Don't sleep on Streetheart, either. There are a few winning cuts there, too.
Et nemt lyt, men lidt intetsigende også
‘Twas fine. But I do prefer the Runaround Sue golden oldies version of Dion better than the John Lennon wannabe version.
Niks voor mij
It's like the guy got up in the morning and thought he was Gordon Lightfoot, and by lunch he turned into Jim Croce before rocking his Cat Stevens sometime after supper.
It was not good. It was not the worst album on the list. I made it through it but it left no last impression. I guess I will give it a 2. It certainly could be lower.
It's OK I guess. I'm not a Phil Spector fan boy. Dion sings well.
Not bAd
Pretty good in parts
I had never heard Dion's solo recordings, only his Dion and the Belmonts material. This album was fantastic! Very smooth, great emotional construction, I really enjoyed being introduced to this,.
Ок. 4/8 – 50%
So not Celine Dion, another one... it seemed like pretty generic 70s MOR AOR. OK, but nothing stood out to me
I kind of get the cult following. It has a certain faded glamour that possesses a sadness that is quite unique. But it is also very dry and AOR.
Well this was a surprise. Gonna add this into the list of artists worth a deeper dive into.
Interest grew with every listen and a fairly mundane listen at first became an intriguing pop baroque record with unusual song choices and an uneasiness just below the surface.
I get why people who know and care about how music is produced love this Phil Spector-backed album, but the only real enjoyment I got out of it was imagining people’s shock when they looked at the cover and then found out that it was actually the guy in the liner notes that was a murderer.
Album # 39 It was dull and not very engaging
A mix of pop, country, crooner, folk. Not quite on a par with the classic 60s pop / do-wop for me (Runaround Sue is a certified BANGER) but certainly does enough to show why he's regularly listed as one of the best vocalists ever. Lovely stuff.
Awful. Was this added to the list as a joke? 1/5
There's only room for one Van Morrison in this town, cowboy.
Its ok. Bit boring
So I read the Wiki blurb, saw the album cover with a straight up goober, and saw it was a long one. Got busy and had to skip that day, and was always unexcited at the thought of eventually listening. Finally got around to it, and I got bit by judging a book by its cover. This is a fun album full of entertaining songs.
This is ok I think. I am rounding down to 2 because: - lyrics usually don't matter that much, but when you sing like this they do, and these lyrics about make a woman love me suck. - murderer Phil Spector sucks and his influence on music sucked
More like Yion. (Yawn)
I came to understand Dion as more than "Runaround Sue" via, of all goddamned things, Mott the Hoople, and 1971's Brain Capers, an album I hold in the highest of esteem. They covered "Your Own Backyard", and I was really knocked out by the soulful humanity of the lyrics. So I was intrigued when this came up, and by the end of this Leonard Cohen-ish, collection, I can say I am a fan.
The first few songs started off slow for me, but this album ended up having a great sound and interesting variety. Liked it more than expected.
Svosem ágætt bara.
Meh it's fine it just doesn't really do much for me. Solid but unremarkable soft rock arrangements and pleasant but generic vocals. Unoriginal platitudes.
some pretty good tracks. too many tracks overall.
ya know, it was okay. Not spectacular. 3.5 stars
Sounds like Elton John but no songs stood out. I was mostly bored.
Music that doesn't require too much thinking — soft, easy to digest lyrics and backing. felt like i was on a cruise ship. i enjoyed.
No tiene Dream Lover . Un poco rollo el disco.
This was…not good. I’m not a big fan of Phil Spector’s production to begin with. Pair that with some trite lyrics and whiny singing, and yikes. The first two songs made me throw up in my mouth a little bit. Why it was ever a thing to refer to someone’s love interest as “little girl” I will never understand. The second song is possibly the most melodramatic and cheesy way of describing unrequited love, and it’s also creepily paternalistic at the same time. It doesn’t get much better after those. There are plenty more trite, sappy love songs and even an anti-drug song that could’ve been written by DARE. The arrangements are typical Phil Spector—lots of wall of sound, overwrought string orchestration, and songs that should end at least two minutes earlier than they do. There’s also a weird country-lite bent to many of the songs (think John Denver) that doesn’t help with the cheese factor. Dion has a good voice, but he sounds shrill and whiny in a lot of these songs, and it’s not pleasant to listen to. The only songs I actually enjoyed were “Only You Know” and “Good Lovin Man.” “New York City Song” isn’t terrible, but it’s also kind of cheesy. 2/5–even Dion hated this album apparently, so I’m not really sure why it’s on this list.
Rating: 5/10 Meh.
'Born to be With You' is a good example of an album that takes some time to get into. The first few tracks left me a bit cold. It was only about halfway through listening that I clicked with the production and the impressive vocal talent present. Specifically the song 'Only You Know'. It was enough to make me go back and listen again with an open mind. I can't say that I loved every track but definitely a good record with Phil Spector's fingerprints all over it.
Местами похоже на саундтрек к Mafia2, только это скучно слушать.
Decent background music but not something I'd go out of my way to listen to.
Not my usual vibe, bit too slow (though it got more fun towards the end). His voice is very good though. Enjoyed born to be with you. I listened to it while playing games and it was nice to have it in the background. Pleasant tunes pleasant vibes. Big fan of only you know. Would I re listen to it - probably not, but I did enjoy my one listen of it. Much prefer his runaround sue album, I didn’t realise how many of his songs I knew and liked until I skimmed through his other music. Desperately wish I could give it a 3.5.
at first from initial impressions i was going to give this album a much lower rating, like a 2 because it's not my usual type of music. but as i left it on i found it to be more enjoyable, just some nice background tunes with a good vibe. nothing spectacular though.
Alright I suppose but not that noteworthy. Another low 3* ?
This was OK actually. A bit bland but there were bits that were enjoyable.
Overlong tracks, cheesy lyrics, gratuitous instrumentals that at once feel too much yet anemic - this man was way ahead of his time making spot-on 80s albums in the 70s.
Not for me
A dude known for some teen bops in 1961 has collaborated with Phil Spector to make a lame 70s pop rock record with a sound that too closely imitates George Harrison or Van Morrison. It's slow and atmospheric with gospel and country touches, which has influenced the likes of Spiritualized and Primal Scream. No songs that stuck out to me in any way. Most of it was trash, and a few had a couple interesting things about it. The only redeemable aspects were Phil Spector's high-quality production, consistency, short album length, and some varied ideas. But what good is all that when there isn't a single good song? Dude can't write, sing, or play for shit. Bearable: In and out of the shadows, Runaway Man
I gave this a chance and I has high expectations. I like Dion's early doo wop period and his later singer-songwriter folky stuff is great too, but I couldn't get into this. Not bad, but not for me.
Ooh no. This is very boring.
Very chill background music
It seems I'm a bit of a sucker for the wall of sound sound, as I quite enjoyed this. Nothing particularly special, but sufficiently floated my boat.
Sounds like George Harrison's solo album for obvious reasons. Not particularly interesting, and not an album that has aged well.
I wanted to like this album. Dion has a great voice and excellent songwriting skills, but Spector's heavy handed overproduction undid it. I couldn't finish the album.
Nice album, probably wouldn't listen again
Only You Know.
ничего особенного
The songs on this album all sound like they’re from a scene in a movie where the main character is f’d up on drugs or alcohol and everything gets blurry. The music is so sluggish and odd. It’s not offensive but I don’t really care for it. 2.6
Pretty overproduced - trying to add some zhuzh to fairly lackluster songs (especially on the A side) but the B side has a little more life. Not sure how Primal Scream was influenced by this. It's okay, but not something I'd put on often. 3.4
This had some really fun tracks, and some boring ones.
His voice is good. Very dad rock and nothing interesting about the instrumentation but the songs/voice are good I guess.
Meh
Yacht rock.
Ikkje mitt nye favorittalbum
Good melodys. Sounded stretched a lot and fairly repetitive
Just a bit meh to be perfectly honest 3/5
Not bad but way too fucking long
Its not bad just a bit slow and not exciting
Didn't really get anything from it, like I didn't hate it, but it was extremely forgettable and straight up wasn't for me.
Beige. Just boring. Just nothing. No thoughts. No excitement. Just an overwhelming sense of beige.
I knew this was gonna be bad based on the album cover
Kinda eew. Like it doesn't make my ears bleed but it doesn't do anything good either.
Very nice timeless vibes to this. I was tempted to give it 5 stars because I would like to listen again, but it is definitely “pleasant” rather than “brilliant”.
Leaving aside the upturned crusts of the first and last tracks the filling was a surprise. Very much of the americana of the time. Good that the production did overpower the songs. Pleasant but not overly memorable.
Folk rock. Está bien. Un 4.
No tiene Dream Lover . Un poco rollo el disco.
Straight meh
I probably should hate this but I didn’t. Cheesy fun
What phil spector probably sounds like to people who hate phil spector.
⭐️ I just couldn’t get through it - too slow, uninteresting lyrics. Not a fan.
sounds good to my ears
Hard to believe he also did The Wander. Apparently he's got a blues album it there too.
A good friend said it best, that this album was “fiercely okay. An intense beige.”
I was interested to see what Dion had done after the do-wop songs he's famous for. And this was pleasant, but I just couldn't make it all the way through it. Too much ... pretty boring ... just a no ... thank-you
I understand that Phil Spector was a important guy on the music industry, but the (way better) Christmas album was good, I didn't need to listen to this one too. I'll check if Dion has any other of his albums on the list, because this is just anoying.
Well, Dion certainly has been a prolific artist! Although this album generally doesn't do a lot for me, at least at first listen, I can hear how good these songs are as far as composition and performance go. It's a matter of personal preference and style, not at all about how "good" he is or the songs are (in quotes because I don't like to categorize art as "good" or "bad", or get into rating and ranking art against other art; instead, I care about how I experience the art, regardless of what it is -- final note: the more I study music, the more interesting most music becomes as an experience for me).
Never heard of him, looks like Snape. First song, starts melancholic, it's a minute instrumental. It's jazzy now. He has a basic voice. Not the vibe yet. I like his use of voice, but it's not necessarily satisfying. The sounds are different in ears, a plus. It's one of those boring slow songs, which you have to know the artist first to actually like the song yk. Nothing was good in this song, sorry, it's easy listening, which means it should be more than just basic. Second song, again slow, had ABBA vibe for a second. It's annoyingly slow and nothing to have fun with. It has a karaoke vibe though. He has vocals, which I love in songs, but he has to be Whitney to make up for this kind of song. It's permanent wave too, no bridge or chorus, which I can stand when it's like Adele. Long ass outro. Third song, and it's still slow(no prob with them, I liked velvet underground's slow songs more for example, just Dion isn't good with them). Okaay some slight beat change, still uninteresting sadly. 4th song, the woman choir came in, I liked the violin(not the main part, sad). I skipped it, which I usually never do, it's just totally bad for me. 5th song sound much better, the beat is perfect, as I knew, this song has the most streams, It's the best one I've heard from him so. This one doesn't have a karaoke vibe, and it's not a vocal one. It's so repetitive I get bored half way. 6th song, starting mellow. The Worst vocal start, I mean I expected more. It's not bad, it just gives nothing, a background music one would put somewhere where music is not the main attraction. 7th song, I took off my headphones, not gonna ruin my ears even by 1% by this album. Same sound, same everything, don't even know how to criticise this anymore. And 20 songs? 8 would be enough. This is apparently doo-wop, hate it, at least him. 8th song, finally it's an upbeat one, this is listenable because of the instruments, but it's the same shit still. I'm not his negative about albums, but this really disappointed me. 9th song, this has a rolling stones "let's spend the night together" vibe, it's a sample? Just because of that it's the best song of the album, otherwise it's the worst sample, it's like slowed+reverbed remix, which sucks with most of the songs. The claps are fun. 10th song, also they have no cultural or historical meaning, like Bob Dylan may not be fun, but at least he talked something, also I low key got into him with the last album. He should have made all his songs samples, at least it would be nostalgic in a way. 11th song, I can't even... It just gets worse and worse. I so want to get the vibe, but it's ugh. At least he said "I'm a runway man" in a good way. The only good part basically. Nope. 12th song, weird name. This is torture, it got a little better when best slightly changed, otherwise it's another level of bad, even temptations was better than this. 13th song, my face has an unchanged disappointment, no wonder this was met with indifference I mean.. 14th song, why did he keep going?! Background music to sum up. There's nothing to talk about, it's literally same, only lyrics change. 15th song is upbeat, but I'm so disgusted by his voice I don't want to hear it. Why is this album here, the ultimate worst one so far. 16th song, Snape would have a better music career. Lyrics are probably basic too, they're not synced so I don't know exactly. I thought I would like him more because I've been listening to this for a long time, but no, it's still bad. 17th song, much better jazzy start. This has the, if Elton John had the worst vibe ever, vibe. Because he sounds like him, but Elton has spark. Also this genre is full of bands that are plural iykyk. If you like this, Dion is very good at it lol. 18th song, fully different start, and obviously uninteresting lyrical start. This is killing me. So not it. 19th song, I'm gonna cry about how horrible this is. I may not be objective right now, but this is exactly what the other songs sounded like. 20th song, my goodness a last fucking song, if someone is reading this I'm sorry you also had to listen to this album. He "baramaba"-ed the song at the end, not good. FINALLY, will never listen to this, one less artist to be unaware of though. I forced myself to listen to it, because I thought I would find a gem, I didn't. If it's not obvious enough, I'm gonna rate this 1 star. Just realised you see the rating first, oh well, you know the process too now. Gotta cleanse my ears.
Yikes
A well produced cheesy bore. I'm not against some pleasant easy listening love songs from time to time but there's nothing catchy or interesting going on here. I didn't hate it but I can't imagine ever coming back to it.
You know what I liked it
Need to listen again. Like his voice
no 👎
Really???
Liked this one I chopped off the streetheart bit that spotify had combined.
1/23/24. This record surprised me! I only knew Dion from a couple famous 50s songs, but each song here sounded big and in your face in a great way. Definitely will revisit.
Sweet
found this quite dull i'm afraid
Good vibes only
Basically 37 min of generic chill love songs
SUCH A LONG ALBUM…and so slow, each song feels like 3, so that def bring the ranking down, but his voice and the songs are beautiful so can’t fault him there!
A new one for me - had only been aware of his 60’s solo stuff. His voice was still strong, flexible and distinctive in ‘75 but there aren’t enough quality songs, especially when spread over 20 tracks and an hour plus. Not sure the Spector sound works for Dion either. But “Only You Know”, “New York City Song”, and “Good Lovin’ Man” are keepers.
60's heartthrob (Teenager in Love). Album released in 2001. Not bad - I didn't mind listening to it for a while, but bland. The songs all sound the same
Not familiar with Dion's work. This was pretty standard baroque pop with a couple stand out tracks in the middle. Would have preferred to hear an earlier record.
One song in and I'm not keen - references to "little girl" just don't fly these days.
romanticon
It's rare for an album to make almost no impression at all on me, but that's what happened here
Muss früher n banger gewesen sein, heut eher nicht mehr so
Can't say this album connected to me in any way whatsoever. Is to describe it as 'extremely meh' an oxymoron?
Only You Know is an absolute tune.
Not bad at all. Enjoyed listening to it. Came out in the 70s and I like that era. Nothing sounds out but the album was pleasant to hear. Good tunes and great singing and melody.
det här skulle kunna växa till en fyra
Not my preference.
Surprisingly very good.
Yacht rock through and through. Not my speed. Decent recording.
His voice is flat and the music is boring.
Finally! 5
This was fine. feels like this inspired Tom Petty to be amazing.
Dross
Hey Johnny! Gimme an album with Nothin! Nothin?????????
So things have deteriorated to us being served albums here for reasons as minute as “Phil Spector, a notorious criminal, produced some of the songs”?
-never heard of dion -he has a good voice that is nice to listen to -so far im not super feeling these songs -these songs feel a bit average to me LOL -they aren’t bad they just aren’t really doing anything for me -i’m genuinely a little bit bored -one or two songs have had some spunky upbeat vibes that i have enjoyed -okay you showed me what love is is kinda a banger -i do like the vibes of lover boy supreme -the guitar is cool too!!! -overall this is a 3 star album for me
Minus one for uneccessary saxophone solos. Minus one for Phil Spector's garbage production. Minus one for exceptionally tame, vanilla lyrics. That leaves you two stars. Be happy with what you got.
His early stuff is great. This? Not so much.
It's long. It's boring. I do not believe he has the whole world in his hands. Maybe 3/4, but not the whole world. It's also very dated. The fact that they had to link this to another album makes you wonder why anyone wouldn't lose their job.
Pleasant adult contemporary sound from the 70's. All very nice, but not much that is catchy enough to repeat often.
This wasn't bad, and I saved most of the tracks, but I was a little bored and not sure why this was put on the list?
I enjoyed the music, which reminds me of late seventies period Beach Boys. Vocally, I'm not so convinced. Dion sounded great on those early sixties records like 'The Wanderer' and 'Runaround Sue', but here he sounds a bit forced, like he's being forced to slow the tempo
Why did i listen to this? Generic bollox
So very, very bland.
I enjoyed reading about Dion much more than listening to him. It seems that his work features a lot of great singles, but I didn't get anything from this album.
The backstory was more interesting than the album, a Phil Spector shitshow. The album itself, "met with indifference".
It was just pleasant easy listening.
Uninteresting music
not bad tracks, mostly pretty catchy and i wasn't mad...! very spectorized of course... and the sound quality on a lot of them is Bad. also i think it could be shorter...
I think Dion was right, Phil Spector really did not do his best work on this one. It's cheesy and overwrought in some ways but I really do love Dion's voice.. it tugs at my heartstrings.. a very even 3 stars for this one. I really hope the superior Dion album is on this list (Runaround Sue, 1961)!
This is the end of a career. Easy listening that Phil Spector thoguht he could produce for another Era. Both are precious dead Era artists trying to be relevant. It's a nah.
I don't know what to make of this. It feels like a lot of bands have ripped this sound off. Little obsessed with NYC though
...I’m hate-listening now. Smite me down, God, end my boomer-rock-induced suffering
Woohoo
Cantautor con buena voz, melodías un tanto simples, repertorio un tanto repetitivo, con algo de ritmo, no solo su voz cantada. Indiferente, aunque podría escucharse en cualquier momento
I can’t really make up my mind … make the woman love me” is sooooo good but there’s only a couple that I connected w the other songs I just don’t feel them
Extremely easy listening
It was nice enough
yfirkeyrt og uppskrúfað. á köflum roðhænsnalegt. á skilið aðra yfirferð. 3,5
Born to Be with You - 7.5/10 Make the Woman Love Me - 7.5/10 Your Own Back Yard - 8/10 The Whole World in His Hands - 7.5/10 Only You Know - 7.5/10 New York City Song - 7.5/10 In and Out of the Shadows - 6.5/10 Good Lovin’ Man - 7.5/10 Baby Let’s Stick Together - 8.5/10 The Way You Do The Things You Do - 7/10 Runaway Man - 8/10 Queen of 1959 - 8/10 If I Can Get Just Through Tonight - 7.5/10 More to You - 7/10 You Showed Me What Love Is - 8/10 Hey My Love - 7/10 Oh the Night - 7/10 I’ll Give You All I’ve Got - 7.5/10 Lover Boy Suprême - 8.5/10 Streetheart - 8.5/10 TOTAL - 152/200
No tiene Dream Lover . Un poco rollo el disco.
This album was solid in the fact that it felt pretty cohesive despite the variety in style on some of the tracks. There wasn’t anything majorly amazing that stood out to me on this one but I could see myself enjoying a few of the songs individually.
Meh
New York folk bard is not really my type of musican, or a genre, and it was showing, as I had a really hard time listening to this album. I survived halfway through and just run out of goodwill to finish it. Below average for sure.
BUSTED OUT "HES GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS".....IMMEDIATE THUMBS DOWN
He's got a nice voice, the instruments are fine. There's nothing specifically wrong with this album. But I'm not a slow love song type of person and the first 7 songs are pretty slow. 8 and on starts to get more of a drum beat, waking up a little bit. They're all still love songs though. I don't see myself listening to any of these songs again, I couldn't get through most of them. I don't feel bad rating it a 1 since "Dion effectively disowned the record, stating that the production made it sound like "funeral music.""
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Amazon Music tells me this is a cult classic influenced by Lou Reed. I don’t hear it, other than he also sings about drugs on one of the songs (Your Own Back Yard) - though ultimately it’s about getting sober. Perhaps it’s just meant in comparison to his earlier career with the Belmonts? Still a stretch, especially with the Phil Spector “wall of sound” thing going on with some of the songs. More like James Taylor if I had to make a comparison. James Taylor plus Phil Spector. Bleh. I read a great review on here that said 2 is the worst score you can give an album - 1 means you actively hate the music, so you’re engaging with it on some level, but 2 means it’s so bad it’s not even worth any thoughts or emotions. This is a definitive 2 for me. I’ve been listening to a string of crap albums lately and I keep remembering that Beyoncé’s Lemonade is not on this list. I know people’s tastes differ, this is an overwhelmingly white and Anglocentric list anyway, and there are tons of amazing albums included. But when I hear something as completely mediocre as this album is, I’m at a loss.
Sounds like the music that would be part of the soundtrack for the types of movies my grandmother liked in the 80s. To use less words, everything about this infinitely sucks. And there’s somehow so much of this album… I was wishing for an aneurysm halfway through the second song. The better songs sounds like c-tier James Taylor, and I am not a James Taylor fan. Most of these songs feature the lyrical prowess one would expect from a very repetitive mushroom of below average intelligence. Layer that on top of music best described as “existing to be a cheap facsimile of other popular artists within the last 20 years of when this was made” and you have something that is just so bland, it is actually exceptional in its own excruciating way.
Very sweet and cool to hear his development. Lots of different sounds here.
It was okay, but it felt very overproduced and bland. All the enjoyably edges sanded off.
Surprisingly I really enjoyed this album. It was so full of soul and character. I thought it was going to be boring and melancholy and it ended up way more extravagant than I could imagine.
Not really my jam.
Was ein schnulziger Schrott! Kein Bock mehr!
Extremely tedious to get through. The production is way too Spectoresque and the lyrics are preachy and condescending with many mentions of little girls and how they should be listening more to the very smart men in their lives.
A few interesting tunes. Other than that it’s just a Spector-produced snoozefest.
I knew his 50s stuff but wasn’t aware of any of this style. Very much enjoyed it