Reviews (page 5 of 8)
I stick with the 1001 album generator because it has helped me discover some really good music, but albums like this test my resolve. This is not a terrible album, but it is a terribly generic one. Almost nothing here stands out. Powerfully average. Being number 42 on the Slough Observer's House-On-Fire™ Top 50 House Albums For 2000 should not be the sole qualifier for making the 1001 list.
Reading the reviews you'd think this album was on trial for crimes against humanity. When in fact it's just a fairly middle-of-the-road example of UK Garage. It's certainly not offensive. And it's very easy to listen to when working, and keeps the motivation up. But on the other hand it is entirely replaceable; there's little here that is "special". So I'm hovering between a 2 or a 3, but I've had it on twice today already so that's a 3 in my books.
this might be awesome an listen for 2 hours for some people . im not some people
This is terrible wow
Jesus, cmon. So uninspiring and tedious. 1/5
3,5
more british electronic shit. i have a lot of "love at first sound" moments with the albums in this project and this was the opposite. i hated it from the moment the vocals came in on track 1 and it never grew on me. vapid, noisy garbage easily blown out of the water by any other pop soloist or DJ doing a similar thing at the same time. i'm not impressed by someone mixing random samples in their garage in 2000. the shrill beeping noise that my car dashboard makes every 60 seconds actually improved my listening experience for once. thank god we've moved on from this moment in DJ pop. 1/5 fuck a disc 2
I like this a lot more than the usual bs electronic music albums, but it’s still bad.
No. Strong 1 just because it wasn't as ass as the other 1s.
Couldn’t get through all of it. Tapped out on Radio Interlude. I don’t need to hear this before I die. 1/5
Ah big ups to the mandem MJ Cole n dem rude boy Danny Vicious number 1 on the track. Bruv its proper pants mate, MJ Cole a ponce, got a gooner at the pub, up the Arsenal frreal, who say MJ Cole outchea reppin the blues the poofter. Shits mental, cor blimey and bloody hell, gwaan barney the chap down the chippie.
"Sincere"-ly bad. Department store background music AT BEST. Good God how often does crappy electronica have to appear on this list? And it's not even pioneering... this came out in friggin 2000! There are legitimately more talented teenagers with a laptop that can make better music. 2/10.
Soulless garbage. The only thing exceptional about this is that it's exceptionally bland.
When it's good it's great. But those are a lot of fillers and not the dancefloor kind.
1001 Interminably Long English Electronic Albums to Make You Wish You Were Dead
1 - The wetherspoons of music.
I could see this album being quite marmite. If you don't like UK Garage, and particularly MJ Cole's not-so-grimey slightly twinkley brand of garage, then this album is probably a chore. The beats are repetitive, at least in terms of percussion, and generally the songs follow a pretty similar formula. If you do like that formula, then this is a rather great album, with lots of really solid garage bangers. I was surprised to hear Bandelero Desperado - I knew the Azealia Banks version, but didn't realise it was essentially a remix of this MJ Cole track. Fave Tracks: Bandelero Desperado, Crazy Love 3.8/5
There's a reason this is in the bottom 20 of lowest rated album, its pretty much purely, offensively shite. And the fact this links through to a 2 disc "deluxe" version is even more offensive to me, personally. 2 hours of shit dance beats, twinkly electronic piano pieces, occasional jazzy trumpets, and breathless generic lyrics by repetitive "featured" singers makes for a NOT FUN TIME. WHEN WILL IT END? DID I HAVE REPEAT ON BY ACCIDENT AND IT'S LOOPED BACK AROUND? I'M ABOUT TO GOOGLE "HOW TO TIE A NOOSE". I'd give this 0 if I could, just strap the master recording to a rocket and blast it into the heart of the sun, rid us of this monstrosity... And I mean that, sincerely.
Good example of the genre, and some good beats.
This is pretty generic early 2000s dance music but not that exciting, overall. It's fine.
This is much better than a lot of the reviews would have you believe. I did however expect Craig David to pop up at any minute!! Some good stuff on here but the deluxe version is way too long.
kinda boring ambient early edm
# 459 : 16/04/2025 : SINCERE Too long, boring and repetitive - first album in my 1001 albums to avoid before you die list….
Music - term used lightly - like this is incredibly tedious.
Much better than the low ratings would imply. I've been enjoying electronic music lately so this fits in. If you're in the mood for some electronica that's easy to listen to, this is probably it.
This is like Dance Dance Revolution, the 2 hour soundtrack. It's so generic. How is this on the list? I don't need to hear this before I die. I walked into coffee shops with no imagination anytime between 2000 and 2010, so I'm sure I've already heard this.
Hopefully this was only ever in one edition of this book, and only because they thought this absolutely fucking trash electronic music was going to be the future. I did not feel the vibes. Fuck off.
Makes me regret how strict I normally am with rating.
This is one of those things where I think a person probably just had to be there…and I wasn’t. However, the album did grow on me the further I listened.
Not for me
Jao brate. Umaraju me ovakvi albumi, pogotovo kad ih slušam ujutro. 1/5, 1.5/10
Listened Before? N More British electronic stuff. It's okay. Not really my thing. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Crazy Love
Again, I must ask...why are the albums that I like the least the longest albums? I regret saying previous albums on this list sound like what I would hear when shopping at American Eagle or Gap, because this album sounds exactly like what music coming from those stores' speakers would sound like. I want to feel bad giving this album a bad score but what I am listening to here isn't different from anything that is currently on any House and/or Electronica mix I have. It's background music at best.
terrible
Utter pish - total beige uneventful garbage
Why is this on the list? There is nothing special about it. It's about as generic as generic can get.
If I could give 0 I would. Drivel.
You can hear the impact that this had on dub step and grime, but this is sitting on the couch while ur wife tries on outfits mall music. Not always a bad thing.
Not bad just kind of boring.
Electronic is my favorite genre but this is not essential. Way too clean and shiny for my uk garage, I prefer more vintage. But what I actually prefer are grooves, especially in the basslines, and good chops. And those rarely show up. I'd say listen to Sunship instead Made for a killer nap though
I was expecting something else. Not really my cuppa
Nice mix of garage styles, remains cohesive and varied in a way few producer-led albums manage to by bringing in consistent guest vocalists
I was completely surprised by how much I loved this!
It could've worked as background music but this is tepid electronica that tries to be R&B but never hits any right notes. Just so blah.
Really long, really boring…
Radio 2000s
Sometimes the bass is really great. Sometimes the beats sounds really cool. Sometimes the vocal performances are very strong. Most of the time, though, it's just kinda alright… at several points during its runtime it just doesn't do anything for me, plus it starts to feel pretty samey, which is concerning for an album that's just over an hour long. Again, there are some cool things here though. Sanctuary, Rough Out Here, Crazy Love, and Free My Mind are all tracks I actually enjoyed a good bit, but overall... eh. Except Slum King. I fucking hate Slum King.
Liked the instrumental sections, but didn't get on with the vocal arrangements. This was not my cup of tea. Only got half way through.
coworker music lol
Tolerable but did not enjoy
Good background music i suppose
Vibed with it so much I decided to listen to the bonus tracks too. It helped that I was locking in coding at the time, so it fit the atmosphere well. Truthfully though I gotta give it a 2
basically study beats for me. all techno sounds derivative of this now so I understand why this is on the list
I don't outright hate this but was hoping for more ambience and odd textures.
Ok
Some very boring electronica tracks interspersed among some really terrible ones. Of all the electronica albums I’ve heard doing this project, and it’s been a lot, this might be the worst.
I believe there is a time or place for any piece of music, and this one is in a Gap at the mall.
A really surprising find. While technically a house/dnb album, I find that the songwriting verges the gap between Massive Attack and Aphex Twin, injection so much soul into the electronic music experience. A true perfection of production - every drum beat is clean, bass is punchy and melodic, the harmonies are rich and complex, and the instrumentation is insanely creative and worthwhile. Best Tracks: - I See - Sincere - Rough Out Here - Slum King Worst Tracks: N/A Rating: 9/10
I sincerely don’t like this album.
baffled as to why this is included on the list, dead me would not be arsed at all about whether I listened to this or not.
Initial impression was this is harshly rated. Couple of good singles, and whilst the style hasn't aged that well, it's a good example of it. Then it goes on. And on. And on some more. There's a decent 48 minute album in there, but it's about 25 minutes too long, which dilutes the highlights and makes it too repetitive.
Capital FM core
So 2000's it hurts
girl who's never listened to anything except the persona 3 soundtrack listening to sincere by mj cole for the first time: this gives me persona 3 vibes
Forgettable
If this had ended after track 7 I might’ve given it an extra star. The tracks that had catchy choruses or classical influences were ok. The others made me feel bored and/or slightly depressed. If I’m gonna listen to UK garage it needs to a) be less than 70 minutes long, and preferably, b) feature Craig David or Daniel Bedingfield. Which, now I see it written down, is a pretty low bar.
Surprised I recognized at least one track here. Listening to this album is like being a very G-rated club from a simpler time.
Meh…
This was a 1 Star up until Crazy Love came on...makes you wonder why didn't they just make an album of similar tracks rather than record Crazy Love and then litter s bunch of nonsense EDM music around it.
meh
This is garage, not electronic. It’s therefore instantly shit!
Eh, it was pretty good at first, got tired of listening by the end. The remixes on the deluxe version were god awful though, I couldn't get through them.
Ok background music. Nothing offensive. Nothing spectacular. All blends together.
I feel like I'm back in da club and the world is about to end because of the Millennium bug. Well okay it came out in 2000, but you get what I mean.
This album is on the wrong list. Should be on “1001 Albums That May Kill You if You Hear Them”. I read on Reddit the list from Dimery was highly UK-centric (biased). This is the first evidence of this for me. Just a terrible album to be in the 1001. It literally shows up on no other compiled lists. The real proof is on the Wiki page as this list is literally the ONLY accolade. The artist surely paid to be here. I had much more fun reading the review comments than listening to this trainwreck. Y’all’s a creative bunch!!
Для того щоб трохи було зрозуміліше чому цей альбом, насправді, дуже і дуже гарний, особисто для мене, потрібно трохи більш уважніше подивитись на його жанр 2-Step , що отримав розвиток наприкінці 90-х, і Cole був одним із провідних його продюсерів. 2-Step виділявся, головним чином тим, що відмовлявся від звичного для #garagehouse диско-ритму «Four-on-the-floor», пропонуючи більш цікаві «ритмічні збивки». Його звучання доволі тендітне, чілове та атмосферне, але фанковий бас та біт, ця музика все ще є танцювальною. Саме його винахідливі ритмічні малюнки, надихнуть геніального Burial на створення свого шедеврального альбому Untrue (2007), і тим самим, дадуть життя більш розумному та експериментальному жанру - future garage, елементи якого, дуже просто почути в Sincere. Проте головною фішкою цього альбому є soul вокалісти, які прийняли в ньому участь. Саме завдяки ним, пісні тут відчуваються вишуканими та мають своєрідний «ретро стиль». Звісно, Sincere, сам по собі, важко назвати, прямо таки, видатним альбомом. Але це, все ще, доволі гарна танцювальна музика зі своїм унікальним вайбом та характером, яку зараз роблять все менше і менше
The songs are fine but it's far too long and by halfway everything had all blurred into one. We won't be going back to this.
Very generic and uninspired electronic music.
I had never heard of the performer Come out I had never heard this album; I played it three times in a row today.
sounds like the feeling of walking into a sharper image store circa 2007
Good singles, tad too long and way too many remixes, could make good studying music or something.
this is the best album we've heard for stimming with 4-5 simultaneous visualizers.
Sincere by Mj Cole honestly, it did absolutely nothing for me. I’m not one to knock a record entirely without a fair play, but this album was such a dreary affair that I legit nearly nodded off on the sofa. To be fair, there are a couple of decent moments here. The production has its moments of crisp clarity, and a few of the beats have that signature MJ Cole touch that some fans might find appealing. There’s a subtle finesse in the layering of samples and rhythmic loops that, on paper, looks impressive. A couple of tracks manage to muster a spark of energy, hinting at what the UK garage scene is all about. However, for me, the negatives utterly outweigh these fleeting highs. The album as a whole is far too bland and repetitive – the beats just drudge on without much variation, and honestly, I found the whole thing to be a massive snooze fest. The soundscape is so monotonous that, at times, I felt like I was listening to the same loop over and over. It lacks the dynamism and excitement that I crave from a proper record. I also can’t get past the fact that the whole vibe of the album is just, well, uninspiring. There’s a lack of genuine character in the instrumentation, and even the vocals – when they’re present – come off as perfunctory rather than passionate. In short, MJ Cole’s attempt at crafting a laid-back, easy-listening record has left me utterly underwhelmed. Sincere is one of those albums that you could easily do without. While I appreciate the technical chops on display, the overall effect is just too lacklustre and boring for my taste. I nearly fell asleep listening to it, and that’s saying something. For me, it’s a disappointing 2/5 stars – a record that fails to excite or even engage on any meaningful level.
Whereas "Reggatta de Blanc" was "music to put on while doing chores" this is "music to put on while doing chores (video games)" but better. Enjoyable all the way through. Clearly well put together with intent behind every choice. Very nice time.
I love this it's so nice and feels like i'm chilling the fuck out not giving a fuck. What I want when I enter the world of the vibes universe instead of getting sentenced to the asbestos mines. Feels a bit longer then it needs to be near the end but still enjoyable. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- listened to this in the wrong order on stream and i think the lockheed martin video might be core. (Though fuck the military industrial complex, only thing they should make are weird shitty 3d renders). In order it makes more sense but I liked the feeling of the random order I had listned to it initially. It was a nice less coherence that made me feel as if i was experiencing it in a location instead of a compact disc in my room with the light of the stars on the ceiling and moon in the sky, thinking of the days I would try to avoid paying bus fare, not because i lacked the funds, but because half the times my card wouldn't work and i feared disappointing the bus driver and getting let on the bus like so many others in the same situation, though the bus drivers were never upset by it, that was all projection on my end.
I had so much fun listening to this record. I ran through it like twice, I was dancing for nearly 3 hours straight. I can't necessarily spot the influence over some of it's other contemporaries, but it sure as hell was fun.
6/10 Doesn’t amount to one of the best Dance albums from the UK for me but there are absolutely some highlights, 2-Step and Garage are great styles of EDM but it’s hard to maintain that consistency over the course of more than an hour. For like a quick second when I rolled this album I thought it was a pop up ad for perfume
I don’t get it!
UK Garage / House music that's quite mellow for later on in the evening, but I don't see what's so special about this album and became bored with it very quickly.
This is a dogshit reco
I could be watching re-runs of M*A*S*H instead of listening to this.
Not really my musical style and goes on and on and on.
Didn’t really listen. Not my cup of tea, but it seemed to be musically competent .
Jaime 4, Nuria 3.
I don’t understand why it’s on this list tbh
Elisabeth Troy's voice on most tracks is really nice. a whole album of UK Garage is definitely a challenge. but surprisingly, this is an album that i will definitely come back to. chill dance music. perfect music to play at a start of a party. made me like and understand UK Garage, maybe ? i wonder what fans of the genre think of this record. "Slum King" masterclass
No thanks. Not for me. It didn't make me want to put a fork into my ears like the Brazilian heavy metal, but still
When the only meaningful item in the Wikipedia page for the album reads that it was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, it makes you question why it was chosen. None of the songs are bad, they are just sort of there. It might be fine to listen to while you're at a hotel bar, but the album was way too long. I kept getting bored and switched to other music. Ended up not finishing.
It wasn't bad... but then it just got long. There's a basic formula here: some sort of rhythm (percusson) track, a bass track, and then various DJ effects like voice interjections and other sounds. It was well done, but repetitive. I'm not super into this genre, so I assume this is a fairly good representation of it overall, and I'm fine with it, in its context.
Not bad...just not my thing.
Boring. And way too long. I suffered.
Sincere borrows and reworks RnB and disco, combining it with Drum and Bass to make a new chilled out jazzy sound that moves away from the intense 4 on the floor dance music for something more laid back. This is a solid represtantive for a major and influential genre (UK garage) that has had a big inpact on neo-soul and pop production. It's not bad to put on and zone out with, but it's pretty boring after a bit and suffers from by association from being the soundtrack of douchey bars with uncomfortable plastic furniture and expensive redbull drinks that call themselves lounges.
I just don't know what to say about this one. I didn't hate it but I can't see myself sitting down and listening to it for pleasure. I put it on this morning and made and drank coffee, made and ate breakfast and tottered around the house with it in the background. It's a long one. Maybe it would have been suitable for a DJ to play in clubs in 2000.
Doesn't do much for me.
Where did they find that MC? The job centre?
I mean it's fine. Very background-music, and not really my type of thing. I kept forgetting this was something I'd intentionally put on.
really all over the place and just not that interesting. Strong 2
Not very interesting rap/electronica. Stand-out: Tired Games
Not sure if I like this techno type music
I have a personal problem with the late 90s-early 2000s era of albums. Since the technology allowed artists to record longer albums within the same formats, there was a trend of 60-75-minute-long albums. This is one of the albums from that era which I think drags for waaaay too long.
Very “of the time” dance music. Good when cleaning and working on stuff. Subwoofer is a must or you miss 50% of the music.
They call it House but I think it's Trash!
WHAT This was crazy good I had no clue this existed
OK wasn’t able to hear much of it as not available on link.
Interesting. Not something that I would have picked myself but very enjoyable.
I had concerns about how long the album was but the time just flew by listening to it
I’m just not into dance music, at all.
I did not enjoy this. Way too repetitive.
Not my thing.
Albumi #143, 10.02.2025 UK garagehousea. Ei nappaa.
Good grief this is a tedious piece of one paced light entertainment.
Couldn’t finish this album.
I'm not opposed to bleeps and bloods and there was a fair amount of variety here. Some vocals I liked more than others. Could've done with an edit. Overall a mixed bag that shakes out at alright and no better.
Pretty mid except the opening track which is cool. 3.1
Sincerely, stick to cycling mate. 1/5 8/2/25
I feel like there's so much to know about dance music and I'm just ignorant. This is pretty cool, with lots to listen to, but not so hypnotic that you couldn't drive a car.
4/5
okay, this is clearly well-produced and intricate and blending a lot of genres, and maybe it's because i listened to it on a long flight, but this to me was elevator music from hell. droning, repetitive, slick to the point of feeling like nothing. it simply wasn't for me luvs
if generative AI had been around in the year 2000, stealing better content from real artists and regurgitating its haphazard and generic gray sludge in its place, this is probably what it would've sounded like.
UK Garage, not for everyone.
Just plain horrible
1. intro - 1.5 2. gamez - 1 3. attitude - 1.5 4. dezperado - 1.5 5. mj - 1 6. love - 1 7. mine - 1 8. zanctuary - 1.5 9. zee- 1 10. zincere - 1 11. ztrung - 1.5 12. rough - 0 13. zlum - 1.5 14. radio - 0 15. hold - 1 16. mind - 1 17. hold - 1 18. degreez - 1 19. zincere - 1 20. crazy - 1.5 21. hold - 1 22. love - 1 23. gamez - 0 24. zincere - 1 25. uuhy -
5/10
Generic and it just seemed to go on and on and on. Don’t know if it was because I found it boring but it seemed to never end!
4.5 stars suuuuch good bops on this one. such a pleasant listen and im better for it!
Crap
I hate music!!!!!
Truthfully, really awesome. Banging production after crazy love.
I can’t believe it, but I actually made it through the full 2 hours of this. It’s not unlistenable by any means. I even caught myself grooving at a couple points. It’s just veeerrry dated and waaaaayy too long.
Party music, to be... sincere
Chill beats with jazz elements and a boomy, but background, bass sound. Re the vocals, I thought the Elisabeth Troy tracks were nice, but I didn't like the couple of Danny Vicious ones. I suppose I share people's confusion over why it's here; it sounds dated to me too, for 2000. Personally though, I didn't mind that, and I'm not sure why so many "it's hideously boring" reviews are showing at the top. It's pretty chill and enjoyable. Long, though. (Note - I just listened to a single he released last year. It sounds exactly the same as Sincere, 24 years later. I'm not sure what that means.)
It's OK but just not my style of music. I can take this for a short period while shopping at Banana Republic, but it's not something I want playing regularly. It gets a little repetitive.
Weak sauce techno that sounds like something you'd hear on an online royalty-free music sight, while looking for background music for your gashapon opening video, presented with zero context as to why this might be included on the list.
The music Bravo licenses to play over b-role of Los Angeles inbetween scenes on Real Housewives, because they refuse to pay for licensing real music.
Lofi vibe that I liked well enough to use it periodically as background, but not well enough to ever buy the album.
You know, for being one of the lowest rated albums on this whole site (tied for 18th to be exact as of writing this) Sincere isn't half bad. Most of these songs feel like they would be songs that would play during the daily life segments of the Persona games and i love the soundtracks of those games so this kinda resonated with me. I can see the issue of the songs using the same beats throughout the whole thing some how so it can get really repetitive but the other parts of the songs were pretty cool including all the little ambient sounding parts. This is actually a pretty solid album and if the songs used different beats, I could see people liking this album quite a lot more. Best Song: Hold On To Me Worst Song: Slum King
68/100. What I always find interesting about 2-step is how it feels like time travel whenever I listen to it. Out of all genres, 2-step gives me the biggest sense of nostalgia. That said, I don’t really enjoy the genre much—same goes for this album. It’s alright, but a bit long and outdated.
3.75
Dance based electronica. Cool sounds, just not my thing.
Not for me at all.
#90 - I thought it was listenable. But way too long.
So the only thing I knew about this artist was that he had a hit with "Sincere" the single, and that I quite liked it when it dropped in the late 90s. That set me up to think this would be a good album. Then I saw the runtime, over 2 hours long. Then I saw how many remixes of "Sincere" there were, which I guess is why the album is called "Sincere". Finally, I noted that the original (good) mix of "Sincere" wasn't anywhere to be seen. Okay, so you had a hit, made an album to capitalise on the hit, even going with the exact same name, but then you don't put the hit on the album in its original form, instead you put on three remixes of varying quality. Listening to the album, it was generic garage with very synthetic instruments, not much in the way of hooks, just "mood music", two hours of the same, rather beige mood. It was actually decent background music, as it was too generic to grate really, apart from a few places where guest vocalists were a little too jarring. I would normally have gone with 3 stars, but I'm deducting 1 star for the extreme length, and repetitiveness, particularly because there's a few tracks that appear multiple times as remixes, which seems excessive. But then I checked Wikipedia and discovered, to my horror, that the album I listened to on Spotify bears little resemblance to the actual album as it was released. What a time wasting experience this has been. I'm going back to my original 3 star rating, as the playtime halved, and most of the remixes went away. It's still generic garage, but it's half-decent in a few places I suppose, and generic garage is still quite enjoyable.
Any time I see an album with the genre tag 'electronica' with a length of over an hour I brace myself for the dullest stuff I've ever heard in my life. Very rarely leads me wrong.
Gucci muzak vibes
A lot of good production, but this bored the shit out of me.
Not my thing. Starts off okay but it wasn’t long until the album felt repetitive and boring. Onto the next one!
I found most of the record quite dull. A couple good songs. Just not my cup of tea.
Absolutely sucked. No stars 1001 album worthy: No - 29/50
Can definitely be played as background music for indoor cycling. The tracks Tired Games, Attitude and Sincere clearly stand out in my opinion.
There is so much weird and unnecessary British electronica/house music on this list, and this is another example of that. I can guarantee I didn't need to listen to this before I die.
HET IS EEN ELEKTRONISCH ALBUM, GOD ZIJ DANK!!! Wel een album dat fucking 2 uur !?!?!?!??! duurt... Ik sla disc 2 in eerste instantie over, maar sorry een album kan gewoon bijna niet 2 uur lang goed genoeg zijn. UK Garage album? Niet een genre dat ik snel hier had verwacht, maar ga niet liegen, ik vibe het best wel! Alleen sorry hoor, maar 2 uur? Het is echt bizar... Het album zelf is verder echt heel fijn, een soort relaxte UK garage en GOD wat ben ik blij dat het niet het zoveelste Britpop/rock album is. Het is absoluut niet het beste album ooit gemaakt voor mij, maar ik snap wel dat het baanbrekend was toen het uitkwam. Het kakt hard in, en dan komt rough out here als een soort vibey soul disco plaat! Jammer dat het album gewoon te lang is, want ik heb me echt heel erg goed vermaakt met heel veel nummers op dit album! (grootste compliment is dat ik uiteindelijk toch disc 2 geluisterd heb, zat er toch wel erg lekker in) FAVO: Crazy Love, Sanctuary, Sincere, Rough out here, Slum King, Hold on to me, Degrees
How is this on here? I could’ve gone forever without listening to any of this
This album really got me thinking because when I was listening to it, I was pretty unimpressed. The album was majority electronic beats that didn’t seem too exciting. However in MJ Cole’s bio it said “easy to overlook” but he was a trailblazer in EDM beats in the 90s. And since this album was from 2000 I guess it was one of the first of its kind. So now I’m torn.
Softcore porn tracks.
In a nutshell: yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah… So. Much. Needless. Repetition. This music is a product of its time. A genre made popular by Craig David’s “Born To Do It”. Which from memory was a more charismatic album compared to this handful of nothing. Overall: 1/10
Some good moments.
Pretty boring and generic, really. This just sounds like something that would play on basically any UK radio station (absolutely not a compliment) There are some interesting ideas, like the stop start acoustic guitar at the start of Tired Games or the jazz fusion style organ on Sanctuary but these unique moments are often quickly brushed over for more bland house beats. On the point of how bland it sounds, the 'strings' (if that's what they're meant to be) on Crazy Love sound directly ripped from a Sims soundtrack. It's pretty repetitive, if you listen to a handful of tracks you've basically heard the whole album. I swear I had already heard that exact intro when Slum King came on. And of course, as an early 2000s album, it's far too long Won't be returning to this Highlights: Rough Out Here
4/5 MJ Cole is clearly a talented producer, and beats like Tired Games, Crazy Love, Sanctuary and Slum King show his skill, but the songwriting and performances can be limited, and there is a shortage of memorable tracks. A lot of this album is, yeah it's great for sure, but definitely not exceptional. Elisabeth Troy and Danny Vicious are neither particularly good or bad additions to the ensemble, but Guy S'Mone makes You're Mine a fantastic track, and Free My Mind a great closer, and Concept Noir are brilliant on Rough Out Here. Shout out to Strung Out as well, an amazingly chill instrumental. Introduction 4/5 Tired Games 4.5/5 Attitude 3/5 (LEAST FAV) Bandelero Desperado 3/5 MJ FM Interlude 4/5 Crazy Love 4.5/5 You're Mine 5/5 Sanctuary 4.5/5 I See 3.5/5 Sincere (Re-Cue'd) 3/5 Strung Out 5/5 Rough Out Here 5/5 (FAV) Slum King 4.5/5 Hold On To Me 3.5/5 Free My Mind 4.5/5
Not terrible but not for me.
In the words of Bob Hoon (you know if you know), this album is 'A sheep-eyed arse tumour.' Way too long and Way too shit. What a rubbish start to the new year.
2025 albums can only go improve from here! Repetitive, too long, unimaginative and not a great example of the genre - particularly given this was released in 2000 I would really expect a better choice in place of this album! I got about halfway through - life’s too short to listen to Mj Coleslaw
Correcto
Perfect background music. Incredibly helpful for focusing.
As I tell my kids, repeating something over and over doesn't make it right.
Godawful.
Some great tracks
Hey this was too long. But good for electronic rock or whatever you call it. Upbeat dancey British maybe? Would be great during the credits of a movie
Not going to lie…..did not make it through the two discs. This is music you hear at a club - in the background. Too repetitive. Not my thing.
Why???
okay i am not listening to 72 minutes of that because i think i got the point after about 3 minutes (i ended up listening to like 5 songs though, including the title track, so i at least tried). yeah i’m sure it sounds great at a rave but there is just not enough going on artistically to hold my attention as something to listen to in any other context. i have better things to do with my time!
I listened to about half of this and was really enjoying it! It’s helping me focus on my work for sure and I like the incorporation of real instrumental sounds (even if they were fake, they’re at least emulating real instruments) in club tracks. I only stopped because I’m falling way behind on the albums I was supposed to listen to the last week and I do feel like I got the gist of this from the first half. But I’ll definitely return to this while I’m cooking, or to put on in the background when I’m hosting people for a dinner party or something.
It was awful.
A fun bit of RnB
Βαρετη edm με 2 3 καλα κομματια. Rating: C-
I don’t think this album is supposed to be played straight thru, feels like the same song on repeat and I did not enjoy it.
Not my thing.
It's astounding how many bad choices vocalists can make in a row.
Interesante, pero no es lo mío.
It might have been ground breaking at the time, but ... now ... it's a no for me. Couldn't get through it.
not unbearable, but nothing remotely interesting or appealing. Just not my music at all
This is great. I’ve never heard of this person. Like a faster tempo DJ Shadow. I like it a lot. Vibing with this. Love the samples and chill vibe. The main detractor here are the vocals for me. They seem unnecessary mostly. They aren’t signing about anything other than generic love or romance type lyrics. Lots of “babe” and “baby” type lyrics. I’d really dig a fully instrumental album. I think this album will end up being a four star instead of a five star honestly because the vocals are fine but I don’t prefer them. I would prefer this to be fully instrumental because the music is that good. These vocals really ruin this for me. The lyrics of some of these songs are also like really trying to be intellectual they use words like reverie and sheepishness that I don’t think I’ve ever heard in a song before. They aren’t inherently bad but the way they’re kind of wedged into the lyrics seems intentional. Might get bumped to a 3 star. These vocals and lyrics and getting worse for me. The music is so great such a shame.
A little dated for my liking. A lotta better electronic albums from this era in my opinion. Didn't hate it but it was sorta annoying.
Would have got my two-star "not my kind of thing but I see why others might like it" rating, but no one needs two full hours of this
I like this. Great music to play when you're doing stuff and don't want to invest too much attention to your tunes. Very easy listening. Five stars and an addition to my Tidal library.
2 hours long. Couldn't get thru it
The 1001 not only has good albums, but albums that define a genre. Even though the genre sucks, this does define it
2 at best
Quite surprised to see uk garage making it onto the list :D Not a bad album, old school garage, I sometimes think today's garage should adopt more of the old school vibe too. Solid 3 for me
I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't that. Phenomenal from start to finish. Took me right back to being a child and sitting down to play TOCA2 on PC.
I cannot understand why anyone thought this was worthy of being on this list. Dated, forgettable EDM.
Enjoyable enough edm. Worked best when it was a cross of Beand New Heavies and Deee-Lite with some cool jazz samples. Didn’t like the rapper.
I loved "Crazy Love" back in the day so it was great to revisit the 2000s, the heyday of UK garage. The album is a tad too long though and gets repetitive.
You're at the barbers in the waiting area, sitting uncomfortably; seven people in front of you; tinny speakers playing this too loudly.
Over-produced and syrupy. Isn't saying anything I haven't heard before, and the tunes are pretty obvious. Not for me.
Sincerely sorry, more like. Korrupt FM for the dinner party wine wankers.
Was ok
Well that was crap. The only thing the wiki article mentioned was that this album was on this list, nothing more. What can I say. Every track I listend to was either boring, repetitive or annoying sometimes all three.
It's alright I guess
Just like yesterday, its not like there's anything wrong with this album, it's a nice vibe as far as 00s electronic but I feel like I'm not a fan of UK garage/2-Step's take on repetition for electronic music or the way drums sound or the length. It leaves me pretty cold but I think in the right context like a party it would be the right thing
Did not finish. Its not early hurting but what's going on here? How is this unique or list worthy? I like that some obscure shit is on the list but what is this. Would this be better on drugs? Probably but would still be kinda bored
*British phone ringing sound* “Toodle-oo, RobDi here” “Robbo, it’s Nigie. Just wanted to make sure you’re submitting the manuscript for the 1001 album book to the publisher by the end of the day” “Nige darling, you’re talking to Robert “Never Misses a Deadline” Dimery. I’m just dotting a few i’s and crossing some t’s. I’ll have it to them by 5 and meet you for a pint at the local by 5:30.” “You’re the best Roberto! See you then.” Shit! Shit! SHIT!! Why do I always do this?! What is wrong with me?! I forgot I had agreed to do this stupid fucking book. What even is this? “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die”? What the hell? Bit morbid, that. Okay, fuck, I can do this. Let’s see, Google “best album lists”. “Rolling Stone’s 500 Best Albums”. Ha! Great. Halfway there. Alright, next link is “100 Best 60’s Psychedlic Albums”. Okay, a bit odd, but that works. Next is “200 Best British New Wave Albums”. Perfect. Then we have “250 Brit Pop Albums You May Remember” Jolly good. Alright, we’re at 1200. Eliminate doubles, and Shit! Back to 800. Oh fuck, it’s 4:50pm. Fuck! Okay, desperate times and all that. Let’s search “British album charts: 1980 to present”. Bugger, the ones in the top ten are probably already on here. Okay, I’ll just copy and paste the 14th biggest album from 201 random weeks, wow I have never heard of any of this shit, oh well, it’ll just seem like I did a deep dive into obscure hidden gems of albums, and . . . Robert, lad, you’ve done it again! Send. Whew. That was bad even for me. Hopefully nobody ever pays too much attention to this book. Also, I hope that I didn’t pick some completely generic techno album with nothing unique or interesting about it whatsoever. Ah, I’m sure it’s fine!
The album cover says it all.
decent
Incredibly average.. though I liked the few tracks with some R&B mixed in.
Not in my edition of the book! 2000. 1 star. A double album of tedious 5 minute+ samples, rap and electronic beats. Fuck no. Why is this on the list?
First listen. Ok.
I wonder if the editors of this list are the same people who make those "NOW THATS WHAT I CALL" awful CDs that a far future alien race will discover and marvel at. 1/5
Overstayed it's welcome. Some stuff was fun.
This wasn't it
Hm. Found this just generally uninspiring, but had the suspicion it was influential for london edm going forward? I didn't like the vocalists, maybe it was just how they were mixed. Definitely of it's time.
2.5
not totally bad, but won't be listening again
it was okay, was rather chavy
Come on, man. Seriously? Look, not much about this album is bad, per se, but man does it feel dated. The grooves are still there, it's still danceable, but the production just feels so old. I generally have a pretty mixed opinion about house albums like this, and I have a pretty tenuous one regarding their inclusion on this list. But for the love of god if you simply MUST include one on this list at least make it, you know, still culturally relevant? I don't know, I hate to rag on this thing so hard because it's simply a product of its time and you can't fault it for that. But did I NEED to hear this before my death? No, not really. Two stars. Standout Tracks: Introduction, Bandelero Desperado, Sanctuary, Rough Out Here, Slum King
Dimery should be fucking arrested for including this. 1/5
unts unts unts unts.. a- unts a- unts a- unts a- unts a- its crazy man its crazy.. unts unts unts unts a a a unts unts unts unts a a a.... uskomaton untsuntsesque conceptalbumi. OMG TOISTOA... OMG TOISTO HIRVEYS.. nyt menen kuuntelemaan A B A B B laulu jossa laulun nimi toistetaan kohdassa B neljästä kymmeneen kertaan.. mahtavaa... mahtava songwriter genious... mutta EIEIEIEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII EIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII SAMA RUMPU EIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII GARAGE INDIE BÄNDI ROSKA RUMPU BIITTI ON OK MUTTA EIIIIII ELEKTRONIK BEAT OMG TOISTUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU EIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.. -terv. sinä..... sinä kuulostat tuolta ........prkl sincere
Gen X British music critics are going to be flabbergasted when they find out that nobody but them cares anything about English house and jungle. Have fun in that perpetual Ibiza of the mind though, must be nice.
it never ends
Admittedly when I first saw an album from 2000 (an era I'm most familiar with) that I had never heard of, I was a bit skeptical. But, I decided there's plenty of great albums I've never heard of so I wasn't going to let that affect my review. Then, I saw it was a double album. Two whole hours of my time?! But I decided I was going to stick it through just like I had every other album before it. Finally I was ready to hit play. It was a little unexpected that this was electronic music, but I'm not opposed to that. Surely this is some sort of masterpiece of EDM . But here's the thing: the album is fine. I read a lot of reviews straight up bashing it, but it's not bad music. There's nothing offensive or off-putting about it, in fact, it's quite enjoyable. But that's the thing, it's good music for an elevator. This is the kind of stuff I'd put on to get some work done, or whittle away time playing cards or something. There's nothing remarkable about this album. No stand out tracks, no innovation, no creativity. And that's fine, but it's not something I'd put on this list
Maybe electronic music was way more basic in the 2000s? But seem a very whatever album.
An incredibly eclectic mix of styles and genres, most of which ultimately hold little appeal to me.
ok
A bit too many production gimmicks for my liking, although these are needed because there is not much to the songs without them. A few tracks like 'I See' work as complete songs but most come over as production and remix exercises, pleasant as they may be. A good enough album but doesn't hold my attention; will work well as background music with the head coming up occasionally to listen for something of interest
I am not a fan of club music but MJ Cole's album is interesting although it becomes a bit too repetitive.
I was Strung Out until I listened to this album. It’s Rough Out Here, but this one put me in the right Attitude.
That album cover lol In all fairness this is not the kind of music I’ve ever been into but still, could not listen to over an hour of this. Does every song have the same beat?
Ok its way too long but if you skip through the highlights this is a really good example of old school garage I fw it
Boring and bland, not only is it not my style of music but someone decided to have the album cover look like a cologne advertisement.
Oh, this difficult. First impression was "2 hours? For fuck's sake!" I automatically dock a star, it's just what it is. But then I heard that familiar beat, like an old friend who I haven't seen in years. It is a garage album! That genre I so loved in my late teens/early 20s. I got really into it, but near the end of the first hour, the repetition got to me and I still had another hour to. Once again strengthening my opinion: an album that long can easily lose half the tracks (or more) and it will always be an improvement. Cut the fat, stop being so in love with yourself. This could've been an easy 5 stars for me, if it did not outstay its welcome. Old friend or not, stop the yap.
BRO REAL AF emoji gato lloros x2 Choose Your Own Adventure! Just slot in "You Must Hear Before You Die" where applicable: 1001 Drum Presets 1001 Unlabeled Extended Dance Mixes 1001 Cut Big Fish Theory Beats 1001 Dreamcast Era Racing Game Menu Themes 1001 Guest Vocalists Maybe Too Willing to Lend a Hand 1001 Sped-Up Massive Attack Songs 1001 Miami Bass Tracks for Timid Whites 1001 British Albums That Charted Somewhere 1001 Alternate Takes from That One Röyksopp GEICO Caveman Commercial 1001 is a Way Bigger Number Than We Thought Key Tracks: I dunno, listen to one of the ones with the dude singing, one of the ones with the lady singing, and one of the ones with the patois guy and you'll have heard the whole album.
they had a live DJ at the Gap today. he was shite.
First one I couldn't make it through. It sounds like the demo track that came with the music editing software except less good. No restraint, tasteless, and deeply unmusical through stretches. "Hey, I had this great new idea. I made a 5 minute song with only one word in it....'attitude'....... but it's said 300 times in a row.....don't worry I occasionally filter it and I'm always adjusting that fade knob." Pre-dubstep. Crippling ADHD in music form. Feels childish in almost every way, but saying that feels insulting to children and not insulting enough to this album. 0/5 but it won't let me, so I guess 1/5.
I can get why so many people on here are hating this, it does go on for far too long and the songs are particularly exciting or interesting. But...I grew up right in this era of UK garage so this whole sound is incredibly nostalgic to me, so for that reason I can't bring myself to dislike it. It is essential? Probably not, but hey, there's a handful of bangers in here.
repetitive beats 4/5
this record is the uncanny valley of music. it's almost music, but it's not soulful enough to be music. it's like the royalty-free music that plays in porn or like music made for a film to demonstrate the evils of when musicians lack creative freedoms.
Boots and cats for British gearheads.
dull and too long, with much better examples of garage out there I dont understand why this made the list - 2
Awful. I’m afraid you’re never going to convince me that this is listenable music.
Reminded me of Craig David but not nearly as good
Solid albumn for the style of music it was. A little too synth for me
Well... 9 tracks and 39 minutes in this is shaping up to be a sincere struggle.... This sort of dance music is not my cup of tea. The lack of stars in Apple Music was a bad and accurate omen even if this record had critical acclaim. I can see some of these tracks ending up in a movie or TV show when a character is on drugs or in a foot chase or fight scene though. Maybe a drug induced fight scene involving a chase? I'm feeling this "You're Mine" jam. Still... a lot of the musical elements feel like someone got high and was just jamming in a solo session and tooling around - it never seems to actually go anywhere (except back around the loop) - a lot of incomplete ideas smashed onto a sincerely long record. Two hours?! Fucking a... I might be giving up before I get to the end. Sincere apologies, Mj. Ok the first rendition of the title track kept me going. "Rough out here" is something I can groove into.
I didn’t find anything interesting about this. Was this the same song for 2 hours?
Ohhh kayyy... Here we go again with the creator's favorites. The British DJs. I've already got it. You really like British electronic music. Well, I don't. This album came in 2000. If it would've come earlier, maybe I would consider it somewhat good. But 2000 is pretty late for things like this. And we come to place where we think about what this album brings and who can it inspire. Well I don't want to think about it, because it goes nowhere. This album certainly doesn't belong here. How it's on the list since even Wikipedia doesn't say anyhting about any accolades or even charts. It only says it got 200k sales. In UK. Is it enough to be on the greatest albums list? I would rather listen to fuckin "saharan blues" than this (Etran de L'Aïr btw). I sincerly hope it's the last British DJ on the list. Unless it's Fatboy Slim... He's cool...
Not my thing.
Not a great album, but a few decent tracks dotted about.
Very cool album
Feels very dated. I think garage had its moment 20 years ago but its very boring now.
my dad would love this album. i like probably for that reason alone, it reminds me of him.
Not for me
1/5
I thought it started out strong but was left underwhelmed as it went on. Cole had a vision here but it just wasn't all that interesting of one. Slum King is a banger though
I found this be very meh. None of the songs really stuck out and none of the production choices were interesting or novel enough to warrant discussing. Nothing offensively bad, but I was a little bored.
Didn't enjoy. This is an album, I'd be fine to not be listening to before I die.
Early 2000s house, great for putting you in a trance on a long flight (can confirm). Though i recently had another early 2000s house album on this list, “Since I Left You” by The Avalanches, which IMO felt like the superior production
HipHop, Rap, Electronic, 2000 -> 2
No. Just plain no.
Ville ønske jeg elskede noget så meget som den her liste elsker dårligt 90’er electronica
Det her er lidt harsh for det var jo ikke en ELENDIG plade, men den var alt for lang og en snoozefest det meste af tiden. Elektronisk musik fra 90erne / start 00erne er klart de områder hvor den her bog foreslår de mest totalt ligegyldige plader
Not terrible, but nothing noteworthy. I'm 100% sure that some albums would like a spot on the list instead...
The movie "Groundhog Day" works better as a movie than an album. There is virtually nothing compelling about this album, and it's essentially one giant song that keeps on going, and going, and going... Favorite Track: "Sincere"
1.6 1x nothing i would come back to
Ahh yes, the sounds of Old Navy.
Enjoyable. 3.5
Like kje sånn musikk
Boring boring boring
Very forgettable Euro-disco. Not innovative or interesting in any way that I can think of. Surprised to find out that MJ Cole went to university on a music scholarship, graduated and then did this? Maybe if you LOVE House music this works for you. Ironically titled "Sincere."
Early Garage.... I wasn't a fan then but I can appreciate the evolution from DnB and other dance music into it through this album
repetitive beats played behind repetitive vocals. once you got through the first fifteen seconds of a song, the rest of the song sounded exactly the same. and it was like that for EVERY song on the effin’ album. redundancy for redundancy’s sake.
Repetitive garbage. And 2 hours of it? Get fucked.
Fair to middling.
For me this was a guine slog to get through
Dull dull dull. Sorry, just not my kinda thang
If you let this wash over you, then it's ok pop radio for background working. Vocals are melodic and the beats are nothing too severe. Having said that it's absolutely not one of the 1000 albums every made. From that year's Mercury Prize we could have had Lost Souls by Doves (epic northern melancholia), the second leftfield album (for the 'Guiness ad' track alone), Death in Vegas' Contino Session (dirty beats) or Nitin Sawnhey Beyond Skin (genuinely innovative).
amazing
Þetta fannst mér afskaplega leiðinleg plata. Ég skil af hverju fólk gæti fílað hana og ég gæti alveg hlustað á eitt og eitt lag en þetta var alltof löng plata af auðgleymanlegum og leiðinlegum dansiballalögum
In das Album eingestiegen, mit den Ohren angestiegen, am Ende ausgestiegen. Was ist hängengeblieben? Nicht viel
Ironically, it all felt very insincere indeed. If I'm honest, I'm still listening to most albums waiting to get back to listening to two very specific Brian Eno songs, so clocking in at over two hours was always going to mark poor old MJ down.
This wasn't too bad but can't say I enjoyed it much.
Got to love an album that's not in the book, you've never heard of either it or the artist, and noone cared enough about to write anything of substance on Wikipedia. Oh and it's UK garage. Amazing. In this instance, when I recognise a song it makes it worse (hi, Crazy Love) because I hated UK garage. Sincere is ok I guess, never needed to hear it again though. Turned the down after about 4 tracks, nothing to see here. Those committed to the project can obviously quit after disc 1 (alarming numbers of people consistently fail to understand the concept of bonus tracks) but the album is still over an hour long. Worst track, Slum King
Cafe music
no no no no no not for me
While I am a fan of the genre this is not one of the stand out albums from the genre, so I am genuinely, no sarcasm at all, perplexed why this was added to the list. As I said before this spot on the list should be occupied instead by Oakenfold's Bunkka, an album that really changed how people arranged and recorded dance and electronica music. Produced well enough to escape reaching a 1, but not culturally relevant at all, so a 2 it is.
An eclectic collection of 90s techno tracks that still have relevancy today.
Reminds me of an era I’d rather forget, not for me unfortunately
Some Ibiza-type club music after a lot of rock and blues. There was some variation in the songs but overall it felt a bit long.
Actually decent record - not my genre but didn’t mind it - it’s a tasteful house record but probably I’ll never actively seek it out.
No. 233/1001 Introduction 2/5 Tired Games 3/5 Attitude 2/5 Bandelero Desperado 2/5 MJ FM Interlude 2/5 Crazy Love 4/5 You're Mine 4/5 Sanctuary 4/5 I See 3/5 Sincere - Re-Cue'D 3/5 Strung Out - Edit 3/5 Rough Out Here 4/5 Slum King 2/5 Radio Interlude NR Hold On To Me - Re-Rub 4/5 Free My Mind 4/5 Average: 3,07 Way better than I expected. Easily approachable electronica music.
I first listened to this while studying and it was fine enough as background music. On relisten, I'm halfway through and bored. Maybe this is here because it was innovative at the time, I don't know tbh, but it's mostly boring now. It's not offensively bad, but there's not much that stands out either. After finishing my second listen: oh God this is so long I couldn't wait for it to over so I could listen to something else. Also, the cover sucks
musica elettronica carina, avrei dato tra 3 e il 4 ma la lunghezza di 2 ore abbassa il voto, diventa tedioso
Pretty good background music. While all electronic there was some variety in the songs. The vocals were pretty good. I didn't listen to disc 2 because it was just remixes of the first one.