When I Was Born For The 7th Time

## In-Depth Review: *When I Was Born for the 7th Time* by Cornershop Cornershop’s third album, *When I Was Born for the 7th Time* (1997), stands as a landmark of late-90s alternative music, fusing genres, cultures, and eras with a confidence and ease that still feels fresh decades later. Below is an in-depth analysis of the album’s lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, followed by a balanced assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## **Lyrics** Cornershop’s lyricism on this album is both playful and pointed, often blending social commentary with wry humor and everyday observations. Tjinder Singh, the band’s frontman and principal songwriter, uses his multicultural background to explore themes of identity, displacement, and cultural fusion. - **Cultural Commentary:** The international hit “Brimful of Asha” is a celebration of Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle and, by extension, the power of music to transcend borders and generations. The lyrics, “Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow,” are both a literal nod to comfort and a metaphor for the nurturing role of music in diaspora communities[6]. - **Subtle Politics:** The album doesn’t shy away from political undertones. Singh’s lyrics often reference the immigrant experience in Britain, touching on issues of belonging and the blending of identities without resorting to didacticism[1][4]. - **Playfulness and Irony:** Tracks like “Good Shit” use irreverent language and tongue-in-cheek delivery to critique consumer culture, while “Funky Days Are Back Again” radiates optimism with a sly wink at the cyclical nature of pop trends[6]. The lyrics are rarely overtly confessional or narrative-driven; instead, they function as snapshots of multicultural Britain, filtered through Singh’s unique perspective. --- ## **Music** Musically, *When I Was Born for the 7th Time* is a kaleidoscopic blend of styles, reflecting Cornershop’s refusal to be pigeonholed. - **Genre Fusion:** The album is a melting pot of indie rock, funk, hip-hop, psychedelia, lounge, and traditional Indian music. Sitar, tabla, and dhol rub shoulders with breakbeats, guitar riffs, and record scratches[4][6]. - **Groove-Oriented:** Many tracks are built on infectious grooves and repetitive hooks. The band’s shift from their earlier, rougher indie sound to a more groove-driven approach results in a laid-back, hypnotic vibe that dominates the album[5]. - **Instrumentals and Experimentation:** About a third of the album is instrumental, showcasing Cornershop’s skill at creating atmosphere without words. Tracks like “Butter the Soul” and “Chocolat” are filled with funky congas, psychedelic flourishes, and playful sampling[5][6]. - **Global Influences:** The album’s cover of The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” is sung in Punjabi, a bold reinterpretation that both honors and subverts the original’s East-meets-West spirit[6]. The result is an album that feels simultaneously cohesive and adventurous, with each track offering a new twist on the band’s multicultural palette. --- ## **Production** The production of *When I Was Born for the 7th Time* is both polished and eclectic, reflecting the album’s genre-hopping ambitions. - **Producers:** Tjinder Singh co-produced the album with Dan the Automator (noted for his work with Dr. Octagon) and Daddy Rappaport, bringing together indie sensibilities and hip-hop production techniques[2][5]. - **Layered Arrangements:** The album is rich in sonic detail, with layers of samples, live instrumentation, and subtle electronic touches. The mix is warm and inviting, never cluttered despite the dense arrangements[4][5]. - **Effortlessness:** Despite its complexity, the album never feels forced. There’s a sense of ease and spontaneity, as if the band is simply channeling the music they love without overthinking it[4]. - **Studio Anecdotes:** The recording process was reportedly intense yet relaxed, with long hours and a lot of experimentation. The engineer’s experience—so intense it required medical assistance—speaks to the immersive, boundary-pushing atmosphere in the studio[2]. --- ## **Themes** *When I Was Born for the 7th Time* is thematically rich, weaving together ideas of identity, migration, nostalgia, and cultural hybridity. - **Global Citizenship:** The album anticipates the experience of global citizens—those who move between cultures and never feel entirely at home. Its soundscape reflects the compressed, interconnected world of the late 20th century and beyond[1][4]. - **Celebration of Hybridity:** Rather than appropriating, Cornershop absorbs and reinterprets musical traditions, creating a tapestry that feels authentic and lived-in. This approach was ahead of its time, predicting the post-genre era of streaming and curated eclecticism[4]. - **Resistance to Categorization:** The album’s refusal to stick to a single genre or identity is itself a statement, challenging the Britpop orthodoxy and the narrow definitions of “Britishness” prevalent in the 1990s[4][5]. --- ## **Influence** *When I Was Born for the 7th Time* was both a critical and commercial success, and its influence has only grown with time. - **Critical Acclaim:** The album is consistently ranked among the best of the 1990s and is considered Cornershop’s definitive work[3][6]. - **Mainstream Breakthrough:** “Brimful of Asha” became an international hit, especially after the Fatboy Slim remix, bringing Cornershop’s multicultural sound to a global audience[6]. - **Legacy:** The album’s genre-blending approach paved the way for later artists who would similarly blur boundaries between rock, hip-hop, and world music. Its celebration of multiculturalism and refusal to conform to industry expectations have made it a touchstone for artists interested in exploring identity through music[4][5]. --- ## **Pros and Cons** ### **Pros** - **Inventive Genre Fusion:** The album’s seamless blending of indie rock, funk, hip-hop, and Indian music is both innovative and accessible, offering something new with each listen[4][6]. - **Strong Songwriting:** Tracks like “Brimful of Asha,” “Good to Be on the Road Back Home,” and “Funky Days Are Back Again” are memorable and catchy, with hooks that linger long after the album ends[3][6]. - **Cultural Authenticity:** Rather than feeling like a gimmick, the album’s multiculturalism is organic and deeply felt, reflecting the lived experiences of its creators[4]. - **Timeless Production:** The warm, layered production has aged well, maintaining its freshness and appeal decades later[5]. - **Influential:** The album’s impact on both mainstream and alternative music is significant, helping to open doors for more diverse voices in British pop[4]. ### **Cons** - **Inconsistency:** Some listeners and critics have noted that the album loses focus in its middle section, with a few tracks feeling like filler or lacking the inspiration of the standout songs[3]. - **Length:** At over 54 minutes and 15 tracks, the album can feel a bit sprawling, and a tighter edit might have resulted in an even stronger statement[3]. - **Vocals:** Tjinder Singh’s understated vocal delivery, while charming, may not appeal to those who prefer more dynamic or emotive singing[4]. - **Experimental Detours:** The instrumental and experimental tracks, though interesting, may not resonate with all listeners and can disrupt the album’s flow for those seeking a more conventional pop experience[3][6]. --- ## **Conclusion** *When I Was Born for the 7th Time* is a singular achievement: a vibrant, boundary-blurring album that captures the spirit of multicultural Britain at the end of the 20th century. Its inventive fusion of genres, thoughtful lyrics, and warm production make it both a product of its time and a prescient vision of pop’s future. While not without its flaws—occasional inconsistency and a few weaker tracks—the album’s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. It remains a testament to the creative possibilities that emerge when artists embrace their hybrid identities and refuse to play by the rules.

What a pleasant surprise, this wild corny, at times had me, going one hundred percent and you have to admit that this is basically turn on-able at any time

Started out strong, but I didn't enjoy most of it.

Okay after listening to my friends talk about this album I get it, but it reeeeeeally isn't for me. Except for candyman (and even indian tobacco), you can stay.

This one grew on me as I listened to it - I was originally going to rate it as a 2. There's a lot of great songs and brilliant ideas on here, but I found that, as an album, it fell short and felt too disjointed to be as enjoyable as I would've liked.

Interesting album with a neat vibe and some good songs, unfortunately some of them didn't quite land for me.

There was a big variety of songs, and unfortunately most of them were incredibly weird. I suppose I could get why someone would like it, especially considering my wife was vibing to it. But it wasn’t for me. Candyman slaps tho

The first two tracks were okay, but had me thinking this was going to be a bit of a generic rock album. I'm so glad I was proven wrong - everything that followed was weird, psychedelic, funky and fun. Some instrumental tracks (such as Butter the Soul) had me thinking, "this would go hard with Damon Albarn vocals and a guest rapper" - well damn if Candyman didn't deliver on that exact vibe later in the album🔥🔥 Lots of different genres at play here, but all around it was an enjoyable listen

I really feel like I understand and appreciate what they were trying to do with this album, however, it is pretty disjointed. I really appreciated a second listen. I don't think I would ever go out of my way to listen again or add it to my rotation. Many strong moments, but as a whole it's missing something for me.

Good old classic

Aight

Might need to be born again to iterate on this one.

If I were in a better mood this might have gotten a 3, but then I thought this list should be much better than this album and they ruined a great Beatle’s song on the last track, so a 2.

First song was decent but then as time progressed everything got odder and not necessarily confusing but disjointed

I mean it was pleasant on the ears I suppose but the lyrics were meh (the ones in English at least). Also didn't really love the dude's voice. And the album kinda dragged for a while. Meh.

Brit indie rock-of course it is on the list (insert sarcasm here)

Eclectic sound, but dang this is a long album. Pretty fun though!

Eclectic album combining britpop guitar, trip hop drumming and EDM chill beats, Punjabi melodies and instruments, light shoegaze atmospheres, funky soul grooves, Beck-style slacker rapping, and a magpie approach to sampling aesthetics, styles and sounds. Can't say I feel the mid 90s hype on this one - they're one hit wonders buoyed by a remix of the overly long 'Brimful of Asha' and a few ad placements. It's not obnoxious to have on, but leaves little impression and is pretty forgettable.

First listen. A few songs are catchy. Overall though, I found the album dated, uninspiring and in cohesive. It's just ok.

Oh so Cornershop is the "bosom for a pillow" people.

I won't revisit this, but it sounds pretty cool.

4.25

Solid 90s indie rock. Sleep on the Left Side and Brimful of Asha are great and there’s a nice little Norwegian Wood cover to close it out.

The entire record feels so unstructured, like it's on shuffle

This is one of my favorite surprises so far. Have never heard of the group or any of the songs but a ton of fun. I can see myself returning to this one for a good pick me up. I ended up adding a little over half the tracks and didn't hate the other tracks. Rating: 4.2

"When I Was Born for the 7th Time" is the third studio album by English indie rock band Cornershop. Indie rock, electronica, raja rock, Britpop and avant-pop are the Wiki-listed genres. Yeah, they hit a number of styles. The band members include Tjinder Singh (vocals, guitar, scratching, dholki), Ben Ayres (tambourine, guitar, keyboards), Anthony Saffery (sitar, harmonium, keyboards), Nick Simms (drums) and Peter Bengry (percussion). Commercially, the album reached #17 in the UK and was critically well-received. "Sleep on the Left Side" opens with a harmonium and constant beat. Singh is both singing and rapping. There's some sort of fluttering instrument giving this a whimsical vibe. Hey, I've heard "Brimful of Asha" lots of times before. Rap at the beginning and that catchy guitar riff and chorus. Handclaps. A pop song and strings at the end. The song was inspired by the history of film culture in India. They finally bring the sitar out in "We're in Yr Corner." A steady beat and great drumming. It's bouncy, pyschedelic with other Indian instruments, funky and sung in Punjabi. "Candyman" begins with a hip hop beat. Distorted vocals which eventually begin rapping. A great funky guitar riff. The album closes with a nice rendition of the Beatles "Norwegian Wood." The sitar and acoustic guitar are loud and clear. Another song Singh sings on Punjabi. This is a solid album. There are interesting beats and catchy melodies. They jump around styles which included pop, folksy, hip hop, raga, funky, pyschedelic and even a Ween type of experimental. There's three instrumentals songs. The album was very well produced and mixed. If you just bought or listened to the album for "Brimful of Asha" what a surprise finding out the rest album is pretty good as well.

Not great, but I did like some of the songs.

An eclectic album that was all over the place. I liked it

Jeg troede, at jeg kendte Brimful of Asha, men det var åbenbart et Fatboy Slim remix af originalen, jegh havde hørt. Et charmerende album, der ikke lyder som meget andet, men nok heller ikke noget jeg kommer til at finde frem igen. Indisk cover af Norwegian Wood var godt

Der var helt sikkert noget af det der var fedt og fik det til at føles som sommer i mine ører, men også en hel del filler. Jeg synes remixet af Brimful of Asha er en del bedre end originalen.

Brimful of Asha was obviously very good, the rest of the album is just interludes and fillers.

This has a lot of same DNA as bands I like: Rostam, TV Girl, etc. But it also has some DNA that I don't like. Namely 90s trip-hop which already inundates this list.

Curate’s egg

Some cool stuff but the repetition gets really annoying and accomplishes the amazing effect of making something that starts as interesting…just dull. Was glad to get to know it, and might give it a listen again at some point, but was glad that it ended.

After hearing that Fatboy slim remix what seems like literally a million times, it's something of a relief to hear the stripped back original here. I thought I'd listened to the album before but it seems I haven't. No memory anyway, so if I have that's a bad sign. Listened to a Cornershop record from about 5 years back and thought it was absolutely terrible. Not sure I've got patience for an hour of meandering stuff like Butter the Soul. I enjoyed the musicality of We're in Your Corner. Then I'm hit with Funky Days - what is this shit? Is it a skit. Is it meant to be funny. Because it is a very bad song. The next tracks is literally called What is Happening? So that was appropriate. Ok. Now we've got Allen Ginsberg and tabla. I like this. As a soundscape. Similarly I enjoyed the soundscape of Indian Tobacco. But what is happening? Pretty funny the book said this was their most focussed effort. A so so track later, I'm now apparently listening to some sort of alt country with a random female vocalist. Now there's an extremely mediocre rapping man doing some rap. And now some more meandering, seemingly endless beats that apparently are only 3 minutes long. "Their most focussed effort." My mind starts to wander, and I get to thinking I wonder what this album might have been like had they made it AFTER the enormous success of Asha rather than before it. Probably still a mess I guess, but with better names attached. I just don't dig this album it seems, or Cornershop's music particularly, though they seem like a decent lot and obviously I support what they stand for.

I remember when this came out and thought, this is interesting. I wonder where will it go... and as far as midwest US - gone! Thinking most places just played Brim Full of Asha for the novelty too bad. Listen, really listen to the melody and you can find complexity within the simplicity.

Wasn't the worst but also wasn't doing it for me

I was really not expecting to like this album other than the first two songs, but I was impressed throughout

First 2 were great then quickly went south.

No… this is just not very good

What a surprise! When I get albums like this that come out of nowhere, with no expectations, and yet they delight! This is why I continue to do this project.

Quite funky and refreshing compared to my usual taste. I will give it 4/5

I disavow song 7 and 8 but everything was really good. Nice addition to the list.

Enjoyed this. Remember the hit single but never heard the full album. Some good musical moments

The Brimful of Asha band?? This was a one-hit wonder that burned out in a month. It seems slower now. This whole thing is weak.

This just kept getting better the further I got into it, I appreciate how this wasn’t really limited by genre. Rating: 4.0

One of those albums that was definitely all over the place. Some hits, some misses. Good Shit and Candyman were favorites of mine later towards the album (I want to say Candyman was in a sports commercial...that beat sounds so familiar). Any song that featured the sintar was kind of fun. I think overall there's not enough here to warrant giving it a 4, but I think it lands at a solid 3.

Feels like this inhabits a similar space as Primal Scream and Fatboy Slim with a sort of vaguely Blur vibe to it. Dancey, but also pop-forward with some international (Indian) elements interspersed. Makes for a varied and kooky listen that is generally enjoyable. Coming Up and Good Shit are two standouts in the back half. The former is more electro-hip-hop and the latter plays more like a straightforward pop-rock (a la Blur). It's Indian Tobacco My Friend scratches a similar itch to Coming Up. I can get down with spacey shit like this all day, any day. Candyman plays like a cleaned up Hendrix loop (can't place the song) with some rapped/sung sections over top. Overall I'd say this was an enjoyable listen. Low 4 / 5.

Getting strong Barenaked Ladies vibes from this. Middle of the album was a curveball. This album kept losing my attention and seemed to be a bit disjointed as well as lacking in overall energy. However, it had some interesting bits and pieces and overall had a bit of a groove. Pretty standard, if not a little bit low 3.

Was some quite unique music I will say that. When the music was playing it was pretty good, but the shit that was not music was pretty awful. Butter the Soul made me think I was having a seizure. Alright I changed my mind as the album went on, the music was not so good. Way too much random shit going on. Sounded like a much much worse Beck.

What a weird album so far. Don't know what to expect from any of these songs but there seems to be a decent amount of sitar going on which I'm a sucker for. Really loving Good shi** so far. Some of the background sounds on here are not needed and there is way too much of it. Works in some songs but they're just adding it to like every song. Definitely have heard Candyman before, no clue where though. Wild and great version of Norwegian Wood. Makes sense since it's influenced by Indian sounds (and more sitar). What a weird album. Gotta give it cred for bring crazy unique.

Noodly, under-written half songs that sound like demos to be finished later

Liked the second track. Not so much the others. Strong 2?

My first impression was this is a bit boring and then I realized hey I know this album it's boring.

Eclectic mash of Btitish Indie, electronica and Indian influences make a stimulating listen.

that accordion at the beginning of the first track sounds cheesy and disgusting. or maybe it's a harmonium. but wtf cares. and i always don't like indian sounding thing except for the beatles' works. well... it seems that they actually covered Norwegian Wood. And it's a faithful rendition, apart from the fact that they sang it in Hindi. it sucks. 1/5

This is what I like about this list, a band that I have never heard of making music that is slightly different, but still falls solidly into a category of music. I do not understand the international success of Brimful of Asha, I found it somewhat annoying. But there were others that I enjoyed and found interesting. Chocolat, We're in Your Corner, Funky Days and It's Indian Tobacco all were something I wouldn't mind listening to agian. What is happening made me thing what is happening, and a few of the interludes were just not necessary to me, but overall it was something I am glad I listened to.

"It's Indian Tobacco My Friend" ya... that's what I'm gonna tell people from now on when they ask what I'm smokin. Why do the first two songs sound like Paul Simon to me? What does Brimful of Asha mean? I tried to look it up. It has something to do with lip syncing in Indian movies and also someone named Asha which also means Hope and a 45 refers to a small vinyl record with usually one song on each side. WHAT? Now I'm just more confused but yes, "Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow" you Paul Simon love child. My only criticism is that it gets a little repetitive in parts. The songwriting isn't that great but what it lacks in songwriting it makes up for in creative instrumentation, groovy beats, creative recording, and elctro quirkiness. Fun vibes with an Indian flavor that keeps your ears on their toes.

I picked this album up in a used CD bin a few years ago and ended up being pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. It is an album that I was well aware of when it came out in ‘97 but was never compelled to seek it out. It definitely has the de rigeur slacker vibe of the time with an Indian twist. I’d say listening to it now that it’s far more of a vibe record than it is a record full of great songs, which it is lacking, and that is ok by me. The vibe is cool enough to stand up on its own. Brimful of Asha is the clear highlight.

Only knowing Brimful of Asha prior to listening to this, and knowing nothing about Cornershop, I'm not sure what I was expecting. Some more 90s indie jams I guess, that would conjure up the vibes of ye olde college days, like the hit single did. I was not expecting the creativity, the Eastern influence (had no idea where these guys were from), or the diversity in sound. Fave song is Good To Be On The Road Back Home Again. Other top songs: Candyman was fun and funky, the Norwegian Wood cover in Punjabi was really pretty, Brimful for nostalgia and overall groovy-ness, and Good Ships. Pretty cool stuff!

Started out interesting but got repetitive.

Фу

3.5

Awful. Would have given this a 0 if I could.

I'm sorry your first songs didn't get into trainspotting but that doesn't mean you have to punish us with the rest

Another one of those British groups I never heard of. The Indian influence is readily apparent on this album. There were a few good songs here, many average songs, and a few that were garbage. Overall it was better than I expected. Three stars.

This band was a recent discovery for me after I heard 'Brimful of Asha' a few years ago - I don't think they really "made it" here across the pond. But I like them. Bonus Punjabi content for the linguists! Listening to this album all together, the songs are pretty samey, rhythm-wise. But I like the samey that they are ["sleep on the left side" = "brimful of asha" = "mar mar o'sharle"] and it isn't boring for me (yet), as I've only heard their songs a few times. Good, chill vibes. Some of the tracks were a little bit filler-y, but they were pleasant filler and not annoying skits (:)) so I won't knock it for that. Highlights: 'Brimful of Asha', 'Good to Be on the Road Back Home', 'Norwegian Wood' (c.f. my earlier comments about Beginning Piano class)

I won't come back to this album, but it was fine during the time I spent with it

Something was off about this. 2.

I enjoyed some of the songs on here, but others felt very out of place. Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5

ei päätä ja håntää ei auta että cool juttuja välillä! Kun albumi on uncool enkä tule kokonaisuuttaa kaipaamaan!

Cornershop - When I Was Born For The 7th Time This is one of the most confusing albums i ever heard. It's not that the music's necessarily bad, it's just that the genres are all over the place. From bland british rock, to indian music, to hip hop, to suddenly invent vaporwave, to make a punjabi cover of a beatles song? When I saw the album cover, I expected it to sound like a normal punk-rock or an r&b record because of the vibes it gave (this album has two different covers for some reason). I was wrong. There's a lot of weird songs on it, mostly all of them having an indian vibe to it, which is a theme that's recurring throughout the album. There's just no better way to put it. Probably one of the more interesting listens I did from this website, but I'm not going back to listen to this again. 1.- Sleep on the Left Side = 6/10 2.- Brimful of Asha = 8/10 3.- Butter the Soul = 6/10 4.- Chocolat = 6/10 5.- We're in Yr Corner = 6/10 6.- Funky Days Are Back Again = 4/10 7.- What Is Happening? = 1/10 8.- When The Light Appears Boy = 2/10 9.- Coming Up = 6/10 10.- Good Shit = 7/10 11.- Good to Be on the Road Back Home Again = 8/10 12.- It's Indian Tobacco My Friend = 8/10 13.- Candyman = 5/10 14.- State Troopers = 4/10 15.- Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) = 6/10 FINAL SCORE: 5.5/10

Never heard the album, was only familiar with the Brimful of Asha song (which had personal significance), really enjoyed as an album, solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐, would seek physical copy 😁

Oh, it's fine. Like, by my standards and expectations for British indie rock — neither is particularly high — it's serviceable. The biggest thing I can complain about is the way the album's big hit repeats the line "It's a brimful of Asha on the 45" a million times, and that's really not much. So, that's it, right? That's my review? Well... See, that right there is actually just my complaint about strictly the "British indie rock" side of things. When it comes to the album as a whole... Dang, I'll be 100: maybe the "British indie rock" could've been smaller? Like, honestly, for real? Y'know? 'Coz, look, like I just said, the indie rock stuff is fine. It'd get a shrug and a low-end 3 on its own. However, when it gets its raga rock on or Dan The Automator is allowed to do his thing... Aw, **hell yeah** — now **that's** what I wanna hear! That's the **good shit**! Mm! I mean, it's **unique** stuff, right? There's a billion indistinguishable indie rock albums on this list, but I can't think of many with songs that sound like "Butter The Soul". You ask me, **that** should have been the guiding vision of the album — that and maybe the "Norwegian Wood" cover. Seriously, there are spots to me where it sounds... Well, sub-Gorillaz, but Gorillaz nonetheless. This kind of stuff is what I **want** out of this list. **That's** more the kind of stuff I wanna hear before I die. Not yet another middle-of-the-road-ass indie album. And yet, that's still what about half the album is. Or maybe it's actually **under** half — either way, I'unno. The averageness of that stuff sticks out to me just a bit too much for me to get all that enthusiastic about it overall. Like, I'd rather not have spent so much review on it, and I'd rather have instead gone about the stuff I actually liked, but... Eh. "Jus' how it be sometimes," as I say. At the very least, I can say this album's gone from a shrug and a low 3 to a nod, a "yeah," and a high-end 3. Not much of an improvement, but a tick up's a tick up regardless of how big or small it is. Jus'... Eh. Not my tastes.

Sure, this group may be only really known for a remix of one of their songs, but damn if the album doesn't hold up as well. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 2.5 that will get the bump to a 3, because it’s not so bad as to warrant a 2. I admire that this is on the list – it’s a good showcase of some Indian flair, especially in terms of 90s pop-ish stuff. It’s not an outright bad album, but… goddamn, it’s just kinda boring. Not even boring in the “this has no potential” way, but boring in the “each track just goes way too long” way. They met their potential early on a lot of these tracks, and kept dragging it out to the point where it just got less enjoyable the longer it went. That’s the biggest issue here; this did not need to be 54 minutes. The instrumental tracks that permeate this album are fine, but they go on and on, and it’s just… ugh. Let me put it this way: it’s been a while since I sort of zoned out of an album. I love entering a zen state, where my attention is fully on the instrumentation, and I can feel in harmony with the tracks. I heavily dislike entering a zoned out state, where I’ve partially given up on the album and it turns into background noise after the first 30 seconds of a track. That’s where I ended up for most of the first half of the album, save for “Brimful of Asha” & “We’re in Yr Corner”. The back half is a little better – “Good Shit”, “Good to be on the Road Back Home”, and that cover of “Norwegian Wood” are nice, but the instrumental tracks on that back half are really, really bland (save for "It's Indian Tobacco My Friend", due to the loudness factor), compared to the vague experimentation present on the instrumentals in the first half. This album just needed to be condensed – cut down the instrumentals, put focus on your best tracks (and hell, shorten some of them down too), and make this a really concise 30-35 minutes, as opposed to the slogfest of a 54 that it becomes. Hell, even the best tracks feel like they could’ve done a bit more; I didn’t listen to the Fatboy Slim remix of Brimful of Asha, but I have to imagine it does that “bit more” that was really missing for me. As it stands now, it’s just a flat album experience, with a few moments that sound really nice, but they’re few and far between, stuck in the crevasses of longer instrumental tracks that kill the mood. It’s a 2.5 that earns a 3 for its competency, but that’s as high as it goes.

Very good

Quirky and had some ok to good stuff in my opinion, not too amazing though and never finished the album, probably like a 6/10 for me and a 4/10 for my dad.

Self indulgence at its best. Nothing here for me.

Meh

Cool fusion of bad british indie rock and some really solid Indian music. Not something I'd listen to again, but I'm glad I went there.

fun and different! got a little bored towards the end tho

It was boring and enjoyable at the same time. I enjoy it as background music, but not sure I enjoy listening to the entire album through. I do love background music so I'm rounding it up.

This would be great playing in the background of a really cool store

Really intriguing stuff . Very diverse. Now I can stop mumbling “mmm bm bm mm mmm mmm mmm FORTY FIVE”

Nice trip hop esque style. A tad boring at times, but not ruling it out.

Definitely some interesting tracks on here. But too many fillers

Indie rock album, mix of a few good catchy songs, some beats/sound mixes, and some indian music. Hindi Norwegian Wood slaps. Stand-out: Sleep on the Left Side, Norwegian Wood

When “Brimful of Asha” was released it always annoyed me, perhaps it was over played, or perhaps it was the radio remixes they played. The album version is a little more tolerable, but the damage is done. The album just follows the same feel and theme, it’s a tad bland. I appreciate the fusion and creativity. It’s listenable, but I think I’ve had a brimful of this album and I don’t want more.

Had some good moments. A little too 90’s for me though

mmmmmm some interesting songs. nothing noteworthy imo.

Trash

I knew Brimful of Asha but did not know anything else about Cornershop before this listening. Was positively surprise. I like the mixture of pop and the Indian sounds/beats. Good idea and nice album.

Overall: 1/10 Half porno music Half George Harrison Fav Song: N/A Least Fav Song: Sleep on the Left Side

Есть очень хорошие треки и в целом не плохой стиль. Мне лично candyman больше всего понравился. Но к сожалению большая часть альбома забит просто звуками

meh

I've been putting off a few albums I either know nothing about, or know I'm not going to enjoy. This is the last remaining "I know nothing" album to get me caught up. Hmmm. Okay, first impression was not great - indie rock/Britpop isn't my favorite - but I kept going, and then the South Asian elements really kicked in and it got good.

I could not stand the single Brimful of Asha back when it came out, so I was prepared to not like this album at all. The album as a whole isn't bad though; was surprised at the variety of styles on it. Even Brimful didn't sound as bad as I remembered, it just reminds me of an overly polished and boring CCR tune. Probably still not one I'm going to return to, but it's off of my "can't stand it" list. 2.4/5

This is bad. I don't like this. It's annoying. 1.49/5

Some corny 90's tropes of the time. That being said, the blend of sunshine pop rock and rap with Indian music is a cool/worthwhile sound overall on a couple tracks. The album just doesn’t nail it as much as I’d like. They have a great compilation called corner shop and the double groove of that I think nails it in comparison

I always liked Brimful of Asha even though it was overplayed, but I never checked out the rest of this album. My loss. I suspect it would have been on repeat for a while -- if I weren't already trying to plow through 1001 albums!

I don't care if the candyman is back, this shit is corny and wack

Very late 90's vibe. First two songs seem to be their most popular and I don't see anything too special. This is followed up by a bunch of meandering songs which range from unremarkable to bad. Like, good grief what the fuck is "Funky days are back again"??? - I want to rip my ears off.

British smothering things in borrowed Indian flavors marking this Indie Rock. Toneless guitar playing pentatonics, 2 chord songs, emotionless singing. Still I enjoyed having Something different in this 1001 album list. Would Not relisten though.

Experimenteller Brit-Pop mit wenigen lichten Augenblicken. Das die Truppe etwas drauf hat zeigt sie in „Brinful of Asha“. Ordentlich ist auch „Good To Be On Road Back Home“ und mystisch „Norwegisn Wood“. Insgesamt aber keine überdurchschnittliche Platte.

It is very well-produced but extremely inconsistent. One minute it's annoying jangle pop, one minute traditional indian music, one minute it's Allen Ginsberg in an Indian parade, rambling about penises. I am fascinated but also tired and annoyed. So nah, not for me.

Not bad but became sort of grating after a while. 2.33

The window for a record like this was so small. It's a lot of padding and the cover is lame. But there is this 90s glow here that is undeniable. It fills this record with a weird positivity. A weird feeling that everything will be fine.

*taking a big hit from a bong* Awww yeahhh that's funky

3.5/5 - digging some tracks, desert party vibes

it was interesting

What a terrible album. The only reason this ever got coverage was for the Fatboy Slim remix of Brimful of Asha. 1 star.

On kyllä aika sekoitus kaikkea. Joissain kappaleissa ihan hiphop instru, toisissa taas intialaisia soundeja. Sit ihan indie rockiakin. Aika pilipali kappaleita, mutta joukossa myös ihan hyviäkin. Norwegian Wood more like Indian Wood. Parhaat: Good To Be On The Road Back Home Again, Candyman

Great

There's dancing behind movie scenes Behind the movie scenes, Sadi Rani She's the one that keeps the dream alive From the morning, past the evening To the end of the light Brimful of Asha on the 45 Well, it's a brimful of Asha on the 45 Normally I shit on the British-dominated nature of this list, but I'm OK with this one. Good album, one huge hit and the rest are on theme. 4/5

This one is odd. I admire it for trying to be totally unique, but I think as a result it's quite chaotic. At times it sounds like an Indian prog-indie record, then the next song sounds like a Blur or a Kooks b-side. I don't dislike it at all, but it's not exactly an easy listen

Another first time listen here. I went in not knowing what genre, what to expect, or anything about the artist...and TBH, I'm still not really sure. Is this Bollywood? Rock? Folk? Funk? Whatever genre it was, it didn't really land any of them for me. Felt like background music that just kind of stayed in the background, which is too bad because there's some unique influence in there. There were a few tracks that could have been edited out of the final track list, but I did appreciate the "Norwegian Wood" cover at the end.

There's a lot of undiscovered Britpop out there for Americans in their late 30s to stumble upon and this was an example of one such discovery. By me. There's a funky fusion of sounds in here that I didn't like or d̶i̶s̶l̶i̶k̶e̶. *Edit Upon a second listen I mostly DISLIKE this album. It feels derivative and lacks cohesion. The funky fusion of sounds I mentioned on my first listen feel messy the second go around and I found myself skipping tracks more frequently. I revise my rating to 2 stars!

This was a first listen for me, all the way through the album—at no point was I able to predict where the sound was going to go. Way to keep music funky!

There’s a lot going on on this album. The most endearing quality is the wreckless abandon with which they dedicate their sound to experimentation. Ultimately the unfocused spirit of the record renders it an enjoyable listen that fades out of focus seconds after the music stops. Pleasant, admirable, unmemorable. Fatboy Slim flipped the single ‘Brimful of Asha’ into a global pop hit. His remix is identified with his actual name, Norman Cook; his debut record as Fatboy Slim had dropped less than a year before this Cornershop release in 1997. Rob Swift, founding member of the ground-breaking turntableist crew the X-Cutioners, remixes a track fresh off the release of his scratching group’s debut as well. This is all to say that time and place are key ingredients influencing the music on this record. There’s a lot happening musically in ’97: Hip Hop producers are emerging as artists in their own right (DJs Qbert, Krush, and Shadow, Prince Paul, Mix Master Mike), trip-hop has a stronghold on UK electronic music (Massive Attack, Portishead, UNKLE — Ninja Tune!) and of course Britpop (Blur, Oasis, et. al.). From that stewing scene Cornershop bubbles up. There’s extensive use of sounds, effects, and production techniques becoming popular at the time, and which were already become hallmarks defining the growing branches of electronic music (mix of organic/sampled, vocoders, sub-bass textures, dub use of delay, non-western samples). These techniques and styles are not always expertly executed, but their collective, consistent experimentation is admirable: they are committed to creating tracks that sit outside the bounds of expected pop song structures of any genre. I hear a strong connection between the soundscape Cornershop etched out on this record and the 2010s world-expanding phase Madlib is still immersed in — break beats, samples sourced from unexpected nooks and crannies of the world, sporadic vocals, voices from pop culture artifacts like documentaries, movies, and found footage — unexpected and undeniably groovy. A few things really stick out to me after listening to this record a few times. They employ a lot of classic break beats known at the time, a reflection of the expanding electronic music scene outlined above. The instrumental tracks are by-far the best parts of the album. And when vocals show up they’re unaffected, referential, posturing, slouching toward coolness — and the first thing that came to mind was James Murphy (lol). It sounds like there are two records fighting each other in this one release, and both suffer as a result; many of the songs feel like unfinished sketches, demos at best. I actually like this record. It grows on me with every listen, but it succeeds most as background music: inoffensively groovy, mid tempo’d, and varying enough to set a nice upbeat vibe that neither distracts nor entices. Familiar and foreign in the same hand. And when you do decide to listen closer you’ll discover stylistic nods to the music they were undoubtedly influenced by at the time, a half-hearted pastiche of the contemporary electronic music trends all around them — and today a fascinating time capsule of musical notes from a bygone era.

8/10. Loved the short transitional songs and the overall vibe of the album.

..

1. left - 1 2. azha - 1 3. zoul - 1.5 4. chocolat - 1 5. corner - 1.5 6. funky - 1 7. happening - 1 8. boy - 1.5 9. coming - 1.5 10. zhipz - 1.5 11. good - 1.5 12. indian - 1.5 13. candyman - 1.5 14. ztate - 1.5 15. uuood - 1.5

an odd one but it was interesting enough

Brimful of asha var ju en monsterhit men det övriga är ju sådär. Vill man ha inslag av indiskt så hade ju Kula Shaker varit ett mer givet val.

First third 4 stars. Last quarter 4 stars. Got lost there in the middle forgetting to make songs.

Everyone needs a bosom for pillow! Words to live by!! I've always heard this song but never knew the name of it or the band. Glad this came up yesterday. Candy man is really good too. I enjoyed this all except for their demantling of Norwegian Wood, which was horrendous. Still a solid 3.4

Hadn’t heard of Cornershop and wasn’t aware of their other 6 incarnations but the 7th has a groovy vibe. I would have given it a 4 but the 90’s angsty boy Everclear vocals didn’t work for me.

A good one. Different

No so goof to be in the 1001 best albums list. Did not offer nothing new

English / Indian raga 90s eclectic electronic music was nowhere on any of my lists of expectations to ever hear, or enjoy. This is the kind of UK Electronic music I can get behind. 3/5

This album was funky, as in all over the place in style lol

Totally new to this, but I found it fascinating. Something I could get into with more listens.

It was fine. There are one or two semi-bangers outside of "Brimful of Asha", but the rest sounds like a sleepy jam session among friends. Nice beats but forgettable songs.

I was not expecting this one! I was anticipating some stereotypical 90s grunge rock, but this is not that. It's way more poppy and funky than I would've anticipated. Never judge a book by its cover, y'all.

I expected to hate this because of that incredibly annoying remix of Brimful of Asha. Which isn't actually on this album. And lo and behold... The original version is grand, like, and it's a grand album. Could have done with maybe a couple songs cut from it that make it feel a tad bit long in the end without being really that inspired pieces of music. Could have otherwise been a 4/5 candidate.

Sehr interessant, genremäßig durchmischt, country/folk/Indie und indischer musik

- The best album I've never heard - The fusion between rock, electronica and the blend of Indian and Brit pop is unreal - This was such a good experience, and I look forward to listening to this one again

Another group I’ve never heard of so was eager to listen to something completely new. But two tracks in realised that they were not completely new to me as I instantly recognised Brimful of Asha. A track I had heard countless times but never bothered to find out who sung it. Thought at first it was a cover version but read that Fat Boy Slims version was the cover. Whilst this track was well known to me albeit more of an ear worm rather than a likeable song, the fact that it is the best track on the album does nothing for the rest of the music served up here. The version of Norwegian Wood is passable but more of a novelty track. So the music did nothing for me but reading about the origins of the bands name Cornershop did raise a titter. Made me think that if I had been lucky and made a career in music that I would have ended up in Sting’s band. 2/2 8/1/25

"Singer and guitarist Tjinder Singh described the recording process as "very intense. There was a lot of smoking going on, it was a very relaxed time, and very enjoyable all the way through. At the end, our engineer had to go for medical assistance. He got freaked out. He smoked so much and then he stopped and he went loopy. He was on medication. His body couldn't take it."

sitar on drugs

Ya I just did not care for this. Most of the album sounded like 90s beach rock /reggae trash. respect the album for trying something different with the Indian vibes but not for me. In another life, funky days are back again is an LCD soundsytem song. Also had fun with Norwegian wood cover

Wanted to like it more but for me it was just pretty ok 2.7

Two stars because Brimful of Asha is a jam. The rest can slither off into oblivion. Yawn.

Like if a British Beck incorporated Indian sounds. A little goofy at times, but I could see how it would be enjoyable. I think I’d like this more in the Spring / Summer.

Not fun at all. In fact, this album was excruciatingly boring. It’s like they wanted to make indie rock music, but decided to replace any edge with the dull twanging of a sitar throughout.

I’m glad smellphones don’t exist yet because this album stinks!

Just messing around with musicality. I like the drum driven sounds and there are some great sections.

A Sublime clone that can’t decide if it wants to go all in on the Indian thing or not. The more it goes into Indian music, the worse it gets. The best track, “Candyman”, is the one that sounds the least like the rest of the album.

Kind of catchy

Least coherent album i've ever heard

Both better and worse than I was expecting. This is a pretty erratic album quality wise. At points it was just bland Britpop with a touch of India, but when things were more eclectic, the music was much better for it. A mix of 2-4 star songs, so a 3 seems about right.

The songs on this album ran the gamut from pretty bad to some fun and interesting bops. I liked the Indian spice. This would have been a better and stronger album if they had sacrificed some of the chaff for a shorter run time.

***An ok album

Eck. Leck. Tick. Look, I love Robert Christgau and he loves this album. He ranked it third in his 1997 albums of the year. He obviously has a soft spot for SE Asian-fused hip-hop and funk. His love for all things M.I.A. seems to highlight that. But this? I just can’t fully get behind it. It’s nice and boppy and finally gives a well-deserved nod to Asha Bhosle, the most-recorded human voice in history. It also contains probably the last contemporary recordings of Allen Ginsburg. So, for historical purposes, I’ll give it 2.5 stars but for artistic purposes it only scrummages up 2 stars from me.

# Playlist track - Brimful of Asha # Notes - The opening track, followed by "Brimful of Asha" filled me with hope. Could it be one of these treasure albums? Something new and interesting that you have missed somehow and are about to become a new obsession? - NOPE! Most of the tracks are incredibly boring. - I'll give credit for the Indian spice here and there. If it wasn't for that, the entire thing would be awful. - Still, there isn't enough curry in the world to make bland music be good. The overall experience is sluggish and uninteresting, much like Britain itself.

I feel like this album has an identity crisis it can't really save itself from: on one hand it's made up of cute but ultimately non descript indie pop whose biggest interesting part is maybe that it sometimes uses electronics or indian influences. On the other hand there's an electronic fusion of raga rock, trip hop, sampling and even guests (did you know that the She Wants Revenge guy is on this album and can rap? Well now you do!) which make the album all the more interesting and even unique among 90s british electronica. This bipolarity of sounds, coupled with the fact that this album is too long really doesn't do the album many favors, which sucks because there's legit great ideas here

It is amazing how many awesome bands were around during this time and Cornershop wasn't one of them.

Pas fou, mais assez sympathique en raison de son originalité. Un groupe de pop anglaise fondé par deux frères indiens, pour un mélange de titres pop plutôt classiques et de trip hop, expérimentations sonores, le tout baigné par des sonorités indiennes… Ça donne un patchwork étonnant mais plutôt lassant à la longue, faute à un refus de tailler dans le gras et d’enlever des choses inutiles, genre “When the light appears boy” ce qui donne un album de presque une heure. “Brimful of Asha” est très sympathique mais est un peu plombé par le remix de Norman Cooke qui lui est supérieur. Une certaine légitimité à reprendre “Norwegian Wood”. En fond sonore ça le fait par moment.

Couldn't go through the whole thing...

It’s okay! Glad I listened but it didn’t grab me after a few tries, good vibes though.

Enjoyable listen, one of those where you’ve heard the songs just never knew who it was. Feels like I was in early 2000’s teenage comedy like an American Pie.

3/5. I think this is a fun album with some nice ideas but overall not something that stood out to me. I did enjoy the instrumentals the most, as they took some new sounds to indie British pop. The album does flow nicely and there some hits that are okay. Might deserve a second listen but it was still a good first listen. Best Song: Brimful of Asha, We're In Yr Corner, When The Light Appears Boy

Good usage of eastern music. A nice pop feel but became a bit of a one trick pony as the album went on.

Very different.

Very cool mixture of different styles and cultures, this is the stuff I enjoy finding on this project.

Really surprised I'm not familiar with the album title or cover when am obviously aware of Cornershop growing up in the 90s. Quite a lot of instrumental. Pleasant background easy to work to music.

I went into this having never heard of Cornershop. Then I realized I've heard Brimfull Of Asha and never liked it. Sadly that is the highppint of this album.

I had this on CD pre Fatboy remix and remember being underwhelmed. Sleep on Left Side/ Brimful of Asha are good tunes - but there is an awful lot of filler on the album that's not very good. I guess its due to repeated exposure but now much prefer the fatboy remix of Brimful of Asha. Fun fact lizzie is friends with Tjinders wife. Small world.

Something about this album makes me want to describe it as “cute”: it’s kind of charming in a way, especially the songs that have a strong Asian influence.

Tuo yksi hitti oli ennalta tuttu, mutta muuten vieras bändi mulle. Aika tällästä totutunlaista brittikamaa ysäriltä. Ehkä tässä on enemmän vaikutteita muista genreistä. Ei ihan huono. 3/5

Ihan kiinnostava instrumentaatio ja arvostan intia-fiilistelyä, mutta ei kuitenkaan onnistu herättämään.

OK, I admit it - I like the original Brimful of Asha better than the Norman Cook remix. Sorry! I also really like the opener (sleep on the left side), which was their follow-up to their huge number one single. The album tails off a bit, then finishes with an astounding cover.

Enjoyed this more often than not, though it got a bit too wacky at times. Overall a solid listen, especially the uptempo pop work.

The album equivalent of the film Napoleon Dynamite. In the sense that it’s unashamedly odd and moves at its own, excessively laid-back pace, without any obvious purpose or direction. But also in the sense that it was more enjoyable second time round once I knew what it was all about, and accepted the above quirks for what they are. For all that, it’s not as good as Napoleon Dynamite. But I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. 2.5 / 3

me like :)

The more Indian influenced songs are great and really sparkle. The more British songs are all a bit Shed Seven. Mixed bag but decent overall.

This is a really high variance album for me. At it's best it was really enjoyable, but there were also some stretches that I wasn't really into. I'd never heard of this band before, but they're a British indie rock band fronted by a British-Indian guy. That's very relevant, because this album is full of Indian musical influences, from background instruments on some of the more mainstream sounding songs, to a few songs that are very fully traditional Indian sounding (including a non-English Beatles cover to close out the album which is interesting given the Beatles influence from Indian music). There's also some interesting electronic vibes too. Probably a bit unsurprising, but I struggled a bit more with the fully Indian music, but I really enjoyed the more subtle influences on the other songs. It led to a really interesting sound throughout. There's also some really catchy songs on this. The two opening songs are both great, super fun and catchy (apparently there was a hit Fatboy Slim remix of "Brimful of Asha"). I felt like it dipped a good bit after that, but it made a pretty strong comeback on the back half of the album, which moves a bit more into an electronic-rock sound than the front half. The best stuff on here is in 4-5 territory, and the worst is probably in the 2-3 range, so makes rating a bit hard. I think they could have cut a bit out of this (it's a bit long at 54 minutes), but I probably would have cut some of the stuff that really does make this more unique than your typical '90s indie album, so maybe they're right not me. Favorite song: Brimful of Asha Other: Sleep on the Left Side, Funky Days Are Back Again, Good Shit, Good to Be on the Road Back Home Again, It's Indian Tobacco My Friend, Candyman, Norwegian Wood 12/1/24

Real nice

pretty good but i had a bad day so it fucking sucks

Fine

Fun. Interesting enough that I'll give it another couple of listens.

Very good!

This is beautiful. Ive read some reviews accusing British musicians of appropriating indian music, but this is British Asian music and is authentic to its core. Im not a fan of colonialism, but one of the silver linings is the uk's history of accepting everyone and being better for it. I lived in Yorkshire for 20 years with a strong british asian community that i was very familiar with and this music shows the incredible value of mixing cultures to great something new and better. Cornershop have a really strong discography of quality indie, played through an indian viewpoint, their lyrics tell stories that resonate with vast swathes of the uk population from the last few generations and i think they deserve to be more widely known and held in higher esteem. This album has their big hit which puts it on this list but if you enjoyed this then go back and listen to everything. My favourite is 2011's Cornershop and and the 00 Groove.

Mostly fun up until "Good to Be On the Road Back Home." Had to blow past that one. Brim Full of Asha is a killer pop tune, and I LOVE the heaping scoops of Indian classical. I'll definitely be playing this again, really innovative. Danceable, brings in some Dub style production. Has some really good heaviness to it, a good sense of humor (sorry: "humour"), surprising sound design, and moves at a nice tempo. Lots of variety.

Just totally whatever

When I Was Born For The 7th Time is a weak effort, it has one song of note and even that wasn't nearly as good as the Fatboy Slim remix of it that made it famous. The rest of it seems a half-arsed effort to reflect Punjabi culture and music through a British lens, it doesn't work, it's not remotely memorable and some of it is so boring that you skip along to the next track to see if it's any better. Rarely is, gonna get a 1, it has few redeeming features.

This was really, really bad. There's next to no energy to it (Brimful of Asha is the only track that brings something, but it doesn't pack much of a punch without Fatboy Slim behind it). Only 54 minutes long but felt like it went on forever. Rubbish. 1/5.

Pleasant enough

The song that's famous is good or I know it. The rest meh

Only knew the hit going into this. It was interesting. 3

Catchy

Cheerful in vain, some feet tapping happend but end up being nothing unusual. And their drum is really not my favorite, both sounds and arrangments. maybe a 2.5...Butter The Soul is fun because of the scratching and sitar (is it sitar? i don't really know) sounds. Honestly, the only good thing in this album is the sitar and dholki and those indian features, but the singing and electronic arrangments kind of ruined them. I didn't enjoy it for the most of time so screw it, let's give it a 2.

No es de mis favoritos quisa en otro momento. Me gustó que suena diferente a otras cosas, y tiene sentido dado el origen de la banda. Creo que mi problema es lo poco acostumbrada que estoy a esos sonidos.

eh. doesnt do that much. was probably more fun in the 90s

Weird

Just enough, not though in terms of length whatever that means.

I enjoyed this more than I expected based on the description. It didn’t take itself too seriously. It was a fun mix of rock and electronic.

Like one out of every 20 albums on this list is a clear case of "the Brits are at it again", and this is no exception, but for those of us born in the late 80s, somehow two of these songs became kind of iconic in America. The first was obviously "Brimful of Asha", especially the Fatboy Slim remix, but the second was "Candyman", which featured prominently in an early Nike campaign for LeBron, while he was still on his rookie contract with the Cavs. It was one of the last times in the internet/pre-streaming era where it felt like there was a portal for weird British stuff to latch on in the States (see also: Dizzee Rascal, Roots Manuva, et al). Sometimes I kinda miss that time.

eh, its like Beck and I don't like Beck. Will I listen to again: 0%

Since the day I first heard it, Brimful of Asha still ends up stuck in my head for hours on end. It's a catchy song. The rest of the album however will not get stuck in my head the same way. It seems to go between multiple genres, with two of the more obvious ones being Beatles post-India visit and general late 90s Britpop/rock. The post-India Beatles is super obvious on the closing track of them covering Norwegian Wood. I wish I liked the rest of the album as much as the one song from it that will forever be stuck in my head.

Boy, this is a roller coaster, but, like only the first hill. Starts off on a high note (I’m being generous. The first two tracks are fine) and continuously descends into more and more boring folktronica or whatever. Here is yet another example of a one hit wonder that doesn’t deserve an entire album on the list.

Never heard the whole album. I really enjoyed it.

Raga rock. Un megahit. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Cada canción de su padre y de su madre. Le iba a poner un tres, porque alguna canción no sonaba mal, pero después de oir la versión de Norwegian Wood ...

Genre defying genus. A glorious mess of fabulously groovy and so very different tunes. When Tjinder and Ben are on their game, there's literally nothing better. And they're on their game here. Now, let's address the (currently) top review: "smothering things in borrowed Indian flavors doesn't make up for their own boring cuisine?". Yeah sure, Cornershop are a product of anglo-India, of course they are. That's the point. It's a mess, a melting pot, a fusion which works because of Tjinder's heritage and outlook. It's just like modern Britain: a glorious mess of cultures and ideas. That's the fucking point of Cornershop - there's nothing "borrowed" here. It's why they burnt photos of Morrissey, campaigned against racism and Brexit, and remain relevant today. It's nothing to do with borrowing flavours; these are the flavours of Britain, whether we like it - and I do - or not. And if you don't, fuck off and watch GB News. You can dislike the music, but insulting the idea for cheap laughs, that's not on. This is a really good album. It's rich and diverse, and a bit weird at times, and challenging and glorious and full of soul and spirit. Just like anglo-Indian food. And that's what makes it fucking amazing. Love this. Hadn't listened to it for a while. Do yourself a favour, and go and listen to their 2009 album Judy sucks a lemon for breakfast, which is even better than this in my view, and at least Something Makes You Feel Like from 2012's Urban Turban album. Glorious. I must listen more often.

Not very notable. Not bad, but not interesting. 2/5 Probably won’t listen again

Interesting listen for sure. I just had Ananda Shankar not long ago, so it was fun to continue down the path of eastern-meets-western music. There were some great songs on this album, really loved Good Sh*t in particular, but there were some songs that did almost nothing for me.

Þessi Brimful of Asha mætti Fatboy slim tempóinu og í samsvarandi hækkaðri tóntegund. Annars næs grúv og margt skemmtilegt, en sum lögin gera ekki mikið fyrir mig (It's Indian tobacco my friend). Solid þristur, myndi fara í fjarka ef fillernum væri sleppt.

Super interesting varied album with some really atmospheric tracks, some pop bits and big overarching Indian influence

My ears were ringing this morning from a very loud gig in a very small room, and this was an absolute balm. This album, while it's quite of its time and possibly runs the risk of looking a bit culturally appropriated in 2024, is just great pop, well made and with a huge amount of nostalgia value.

Pretty interesting and unique. This was fun to listen to but I probably wouldn't put it into my regular rotation. The blend of western and South Asian music is really well done, and Brimful of Asha is a classic

Can’t say I liked it at all. Brimful of Asha is a good tune but apart from that it was pretty dull. Indian influence was obviously interesting but the constant hip hop beat was boring and the interlude songs didn’t add much to the narrative. Lyricism was poor too. 2/5

Some good songs some bland songs but having this on cd got me laid in university so I should probably score it higher!

Generally when something comes up on this list that I have never heard of, I assume it's an underwhelming group from the UK that maybe had a hit. This is exactly that. Granted I will say it's more interesting than I was expecting and a bit more eclectic for something out of the UK in the late 90s than I was expecting. But unremarkable it remains. Get it off this list.

It was okay, interesting vibe

Like 99% of the world, I only knew one Cornershop song. This was a pleasantly surprising listen.

I had never heard another Cornershop song besides Brimful of Asha. Who knew they were so Indian/Bollywood Brit Pop influenced?

This is quite an interesting mixture of genres. It's something that I think could and maybe should work better than it does here, but somehow Cornershop manages to make it quite boring for a lot of the time. The three song run of 'Coming Up', 'Good Ships' and' Good To Be On The Road Back Home Again' are the best tracks. 'Coming Up' is an instrumental which combines Indian music with a cool slow funky beat. It goes straight into 'Good Ships' which is decent enough and the third is my favourite track on the album. It is definitely helped by the guest artist Paula Frazer who sounded really great, but it made me wish the whole album had her on vocals. It's quite a bittersweet sounding song and she adds a lot more emotion in six minutes than the actual singer does for the whole album. Listen to those and the original of 'Brimful of Asha' and the rest you can skip. Could maybe have been three stars if it was cut down by 15 minutes and wasn't as inconsistent.

Groupe totalement inconnu. L'instrumentation est originale et inattendue (+1), par contre le premier morceau ouvre assez mal l'album (trop répétitif). Les morceaux suivants ne sont pas beaucoup mieux, le résultat est assez ennuyeux. Je n'y revendrais pas. =>2/5

brimful of songs

That was pretty terrible

another OK album, nothing (apart from Brimful of Asha) really grabs me

Very rarely do I come across an album with an identity crisis in which said identity crisis simultaneously works in its favour and -in places- to its detriment. My knowledge of this band was restricted to the more dance orientated version of the song 'Brimful Of Asha' (I much prefer the version on this LP, to be honest) that dominated MTV and radio airwaves back in the late 90's and early 2000's. In fact, I believe it is still in heavy rotation to this day. So I was very surprised with how much variety 'When I Was Born For The 7th Time' presented with me with. From use of strings, to solid use of tambouras, sitars, and the harmonium - alongside flavours of electronica, hip hop, and Indian sensibilities; and all of these elements are heavily layered over a britpop sound very similar to other bands around at the time. It sounds like an absolute trip, and it is. But it's also a case of just too many flavours being thrown into the pot. Some of it tastes amazing, but it could have used less salt and paprika; and why are we mixing chicken with the beef? I hope that anecdote made sense lol. While I do love an LP that features a mountain of variety, I also think coherency is important. If it feels like I'm listening to one of my many daily playlists instead of an actual, conscious, project it raises some flags for me. As I mentioned above, it works in its favour and to its detriment. Some tracks on here are brilliant. The mesmerizing 'Sleep On The Left Side'. The britpop classic 'Brimful Of Asha'. The beautiful 'Good To Be On The Road Back Home Again'. And the excellent cover of The Beatles' 'Norwegian Wood', which fits their sound perfectly; just a sample of tracks where the band are at their most focused. But, to its detriment, jumping from a tried and true britpop track to pure hip hop, or pure hip hop to acoustic rock is insanely jarring - with almost nothing in between to lead the listener to the drastic change. 'When I Was Born For The 7th Time' is good. But it could have been something brilliant. It's an album with some serious high points, but the lack of overall focus cause the low points to be hard to overlook. I feel there's no artistic vision here, but rather a blank canvas the band simply decided to splash every colour they could onto; and whether it was great, good, or just didn't fit wasn't really a priority. In saying all of this, however, I would still recommend listening to it; as it is an interesting LP despite its problems. Just be ready to hear a lot of potential go to waste. 3/5

Brimful of Asha is a song that still plays on the radio from time to time but I have never looked up Cornershop for any other song before. The album is very much what I would expect from the group that made Brimful of Asha. Easy listening songs throughout the album with some surprisers thrown in. The songs in Hindi as well as the songs with a female singer were a fun addition to the album.

One hit song does not make a good album. Lots of noise here. No thanks.

Loved this album. Brimful of Asha was awesome but I never knew the band. Great chill rock grooves. Sweet Indian vibes. This is a perfect example of why I did this!

This was a big surprise. Like everyone else, I have heard Brimful of Asha before. I hadn't heard anything else from this album before. I was impressed with the funky/DJ-heavy/Indian-influenced music; super refreshing. This is pretty well-recorded too. Least favorite track: Funky Days Are Back Again I was absolutely compelled to tap my foot and bob my head during What Is Happening

Surprised that I recognized the radio hit Brimful of Asha. This album certainly felt like it belongs to the late 90s. Wouldn't listen to the full album ever again, but enjoyed the nostalgia.

No fui nada fan de los Cornershop. El disco me pareció irritante, la música cansada y forzada, y en general tuve una experiencia poco placentera. Para nada el tipo de rock que me gusta. Y el tema famosísimo siempre me ha fastidiado un tanto, así que no había ni por donde lograrlo por aquí.

3- Stars (7/15)

The good stuff is so good! A lot of kind of boring moments too. This is a tricky one to rate. Incredibly refreshing, however, to hear brit pop with a different perspective other than just white dudes

Dig it. Scratches the Beck itch. Doesn’t really maintain its appeal for the whole album, though.

Some good songs, some meh.

3-4 Brimful of asha

This is 50-50 for me. Half of the songs I really like, the other half, not so much. I miss how many different types of music co-existed in the 90s compared to now.

There’s a famous quote from Thomas Edison about not failing 10,000 times, but instead finding 10,000 ways of not making a lightbulb. In that light, I’d like to thank Cornershop for adding to the very long list of ways to not make an album. Brimful of Asha and the Norwegian Wood cover are ok, but not worth slogging through the rest of the album

Wow, slog really is the word for getting through this album. How is it under an hour? Seemed to go on forever.

It was a bit of a slogger. There is nothing on here worth coming back for. also, it had a couple of instrumental tracks that don't go anywhere. when I read that there was a ' lot of smoking going on ' whilst the album was recorded it all made sense. I'm not sure if it would be better or worse if there was no smoking whilst they made it.

Meh

this felt like if jar ferrar made british indian more rock inspired music. Should be up my alley, but isn’t as much. remix of brimful of asha is better than anything actually on here

Was ok

Sweet and swinging. Original, though obviously a blend of things, and entertaining, especially for Indophiles and most particularly for Anglo-Indophiles. Four or five first-rate cuts and the all-time line "everybody needs a bosom for a pillow."

A lot of ideas on here… we could have revised some things a bit more.

Catchy and very fun. Not one I'd heard before, but I'm a sucker for indian inspired pop.

It’s just not very interesting. I didn’t dislike this, but I probably won’t ever listen to it again.

1 - this was absolutely horrible. British bias otherwise it wouldn't ever be in here (I also just hate when experimentation goes wrong) half of this would be more "noise" than music imo

Good stuff.

Some seriously funky Bhangra beats here fused with mid 90s indie energy. And, like a lot of 90s music, sounds somewhat dated now. Still well worth a listen though

I enjoyed it. I'll listen to it again and other albums by them.

7/10. Liked it

Cada canción de su padre y de su madre. Le iba a poner un tres, porque alguna canción no sonaba mal, pero después de oir la versión de Norwegian Wood ...

Mediocre compared with its ambition and reputation

Some good stuff but a lot of aimless meandering shit

This is curiously interesting... A bit weird but not enough weird to totally hook me. I'll share 2 stars

Meh.

All’inizio era molto bello anche con le influenze orientaleggianti ma poi è diventato una zuppa percussioni e altre percussioni e poi ancora percussioni che non interessano a nessuno

mi sono sentita colta alla sprovvista con queste vibes orientali, ma non so se in bene o in male. all'inizio era tutto molto interessante, nonostante la seconda canzone parta con uno che sembra stia facendo un annuncio radiofonico e prosegua dicendo che tutti hanno bisogno di un seno (per essere PG-13) su cui poggiare la testa. poi però purtroppo per me perde tutto ciò che è interessante e diventa un'accozzaglia di elementi che non mi sembra funzionino così bene insieme. peccato, perchè l'idea di fondo era carina.

Groovy

Don't think that this band knew what they were and what their musical direction was. It seemed like they were trying too hard to come up with something different. Each track was individual but that made it disjointed to listen to. Overall didn't get into this

Another that made me think there might not actually be 1000 albums I need to hear before I die.

Never have I ever heard of this album / band. This exercise is exposing my experience in listening to music isn’t as worldly as I thought. Never would’ve I listened to this without this popping up. Glad it did. It was a good way to kill about an hour. A Beatles cover is always appreciated. Granted it wasn’t sung in English (Punjabi?) but I still knew the words.

This was a refreshing change. Much better than I remember when it originally came out.

Interesting 90s fare especially when the eastern music influences permeate.

It’s like one half good song and a lot of filler. I don’t get it.

Not bad, the Indian elements were quite fun!

There's suprisingly quite a few albums on this list that mix traditional music of India with western pop tunes. When I Was Born for The 7th Time is abother example, and as with other cases it's a pretty good record. More traditional pop/rock rhytms with unusual instruments or melodies, and with a quite distinct vocal. And a total tune from 90s - Brimful of Asha. Until this day I had no idea what's that about, or what the actual lyrics are, but the song is pretty good.

Yeah. Kinda cool. Easy 3 for me.

Decent outing. Nice mix of Indian and indie styles with a dash of electronica and hip hop. Not everything works and at times they try too hard but this was listenable and I just might revisit this one in the future.

you limeys really lost all sense of taste the moment they put a sitar over a breakbeat, huh

No private session needed for Spotify. Loved the couple of hits they had in the 90s from this album, I had listened to this album in the past, but except from the hits nothing stood out to me which is probably why I never went back to it, but it's still a great album.

Apart from a few tracks like Brimful of Asha (and even that's a stretch) this seems to lack any of its own identity. A high 2, rounded to a 3

Pretty solid britpop album

Started off OK to be fair. But seemed to be struggling for ideas after that. Seemed to be a case of, "What shall we do now? Well can't think of anything to say so.... let's do an instrumental" or "let's chuck a rap in". Not very inspiring.

Thank you 1,001 albums. My faith in you has been restored. This is why I’m here! Obviously knew the mega hit single (who doesn’t?) so thought at least I’ll enjoy that. But, wow! Loved the start of this album, and then the album mix of ‘Brimful’ absolutely slapped! Not heard that version before and I prefer it. I then hoped that the album wouldn’t drop off as some of these do, but no, the energy just kept coming. Indie guitars, sitars, a bit of scratching and it just had me boogieing all through. The duet with the Doris really worked too (Good to be in the Road Back Hone Again).

I bought this back in the day, I always preferred The Fatboy Slim remix of 'Brimful of Asha' at the time, but revisiting it, I did enjoy the original more now. Some of the rest was pretty good, some awful. 2 stars.

The album bounces between really good brit rock/indie and weird and difficult to listen to Beatles sitar-era rip-off music. If they would have leaned a little less into the latter, this would be a great album, but those misses drag down the whole for me. It's kind of a shame, because the album kicks off incredibly well with Sleep on the Left Side, that I'm left wishing the whole album was like that one song. Favorite Song(s): Sleep on the Left Side

I liked it more than I expected. It has great vibes and contagious rhythm. 3.5/5

Got half way through and didn’t want to listen anymore.

So many amazing songs what a great album, another example of mid 90's excellence / brilliance

I remember brimful of Asha on the tv and radio, but as far as the rest of the album, I can listen to it once and be ok.

Had a nice groove, but nothing I’d return to.

Interesting sound. Definitely a 90s vibe. Best Song: Sleep On the Left Side

I like this, 90s alternative but with some really creative influences!

It was a very strange experience. I liked it.

This was an interesting listen. I really did enjoy the fusion of genres (I'm hearing pop, electronica, and Indian). It's not a love for me, and I doubt I'll revisit much but I'm glad I listened to it. The instrumentals are definitely some of the strong parts of the album. I also was enjoying the non English portions a lot. I enjoyed Good Sh** a fair bit out of the ones that were in English. Also their cover of Norwegian Wood was pretty cool too. That said, the weaker songs were weak enough to drag this to a 3 instead of a 4 for me.

What is with this list and these British 90s one hit wonders getting whole ass albums on the list? Why is this band here? They have one popular song and it's not even the version from the album that got popular! It was the remix by Fatboy Slim, an artist that I have gone on record saying that I don't give a crap about, that got popular! So that did not make me excited for this album at all. So, after listening to the album, how do I feel about it? I mean, it's fine, I guess. I don't really care about it that much. I'll give it this, it was different than what I expected, and by extension, different from the rest of the obscure 90s British indie albums on the list. This album's big song, "Brimful of Asha" is alright. It's not my favorite "one-hit" to show up on this list, but it's probably not the worst. The rest of the songs are whatever. Some are okay, but others are kind of interlude type things that just pad out the runtime. This album kind of dragged a bit. At least it ended on somewhat of a high note, but I don't think the final song is good because of what Cornershop did. I think it's good because it's Norwegian Wood. It's kind of hard to make a song like that sound bad. The sound is fine. It's got elements of Indian music to make things a bit interesting. But then again, speaking of the Beatles, that was something George Harrison had done 30 years prior to this album's release. Whatever, it's at least something I can respect about this album. The writing is fine, I guess. I just don't really see why this needs to be on the list. There's better albums with this kind of vibe that do it better. High 2/5.

Some elements, like the third track “Butter the Soul” remind me a bit of the Gorillaz debut album. Mixing some heavy, late 90s style beats and other sounds/samples, it has some interesting grooves. Overall though, it’s a little scattershot, going back and forth between sample heavy, groove based tracks (“What is Happening?”), and more Brit-pop adjacent tracks. I guess it had a hit song, and a few tracks were used in commercials, but outside of historical context, I didn’t find much here that grabbed me.

I really dig this. Will totally listen again and seek out their other music.

An incredible slice of a collision of worlds. Indian and 90’s dance. Mesmerizing!

Not unenjoyable - but I think I was used to the more dancey radio version of Brimful of Asha. I just wanted them to step on the gas a bit.

I didn't know what to expect, but it really threw me for a loop with Cornershop's mix of rock, electronica and Indian music. It ranges from an eclectic fusion of Indian influences to straight-ahead rock. At times, I had to check the track list to see if this was the same band. Interesting, yet boring at times. Bizarre and strangely weird, but in a good way for the most part. I'll need repeated listening to decide if I like it or not, but it's way toooo long...so I might not.

This didn’t leave much of an impression. And I have a distinct memory of thinking that the Fatboy Slim remix made Brimful of Asha because the original was dull and pedestrian. This isn’t bad it just doesn’t do anything for me. I want to give it 2.5

Eclectic mix of world music, turntablism, psych, trip-hop. Not everything hits for me and it's a bit too long, but I appreciate the wide array of styles.

This album really surprised me as i was only aware of the norman cook remix of brimful of asha before listening.

I had definitely never heard of Cornershop or this album (although maybe I had heard Brimful of Asha somewhere). But I found this album from 1997 refreshing. It sounds like it was made yesterday. The fusion of indie rock with Indian sitar is super unique. I enjoyed this one a lot.

6/10

Quite charming

Started strong and then went downhill

Sounds like a group of guys who went to India on a college trip and decided to start a band