Reviews (page 4 of 8)
I am completely surprised I haven't heard of this band before, this is right in my wheelhouse of one of my most listened to genres. It's a perfect blend of pop-punk, indie rock and really hits the spot. I had to do a little chronology to see where this came out alongside more well known releases of the same genre from Pixies, Built to Spill and Weezer. These guys were right at the fringe of this genre I feel like should deserve more widespread recognition. I wonder if this might have been the case if they weren't from Northern Ireland? But also possible their unique origin location helped them build a sound that was also unique to them. I love the distortion heavy chug of their guitars, and high-low dynamics between songs. Will definitely slide this one into my rotation of similar music and do a deeper dive into their discography.
Other than enjoying some of the aggressive guitar tones at the start and finding some of the samples amusing, this album does nothing for me. It's kind of an interesting combination of indie, pop punk, and britpop, but overall the singing and composition is kind of just a bland flavour that's not to my taste.
It’s ok, typical 90s rock that can get boring. Not terrible but not memorable. Close your eyes, pick a 90s alt/progressive band and it’ll probably sound like this. Nothing here moves me.
I didn't care for this. Innocent Smile was okay. This music didn't make me feel anything. It seems very radio friendly.
Really enjoyed. How have I kept away from this for so long. Some great riffs in here.
10/10
When the album is mid, uninspired, boring and trite 🔥🔥🔥
Pretty solid, although it dragged a bit by the end. I also like the cover even though it's bleak as hell. 3.8
This is ok. It reminds of Radio in the 90s. This is the stuff that was background noise and didn’t catch my attention. This album gets better as it goes. Girl from Mars was good and I also like “Kung Fu”. And then “oh yeah” goes back to “meh”. And the songs after that are good. This album is hard to get a feel on. “Angel interceptor” is great!! The album starts rough and is so much better by the end. I’m torn between three stars and four stars.
Not bad. Goes into the background
Already forgot I listened to this.
Musicianship is good, but didn't love the songwriting. Drummer was really good and I really liked the opening track
Rating: 0.2 Really embarrassing parody of much better bands. These guys should be dropped into a haunted forest with a schizophrenic hillbilly with a sickle chasing them and trying to eat them.
Forgettable, but not musically terrible.
Goldfinger Girl from Mars Kung Fu Oh Yeah Angel Interceptor
👍🏼👍🏼
1. Lose - 1 2. Finger - 1 3. Mars - 0 4. Give - 1 5. Dream - 1 6. Kung Fu -1 7. Yeah -1 8. Flow -0 9. Smile -0 10. Angel - 0 11. Lost -1.5 12. Dark - 1 Only 1 decent song
The hype that surrounded these guys when they appeared was ridiculous. I mean, they're okay-ish, nothing spectacular, but the british music press thought they were the second coming or something. Such a big deal was made over them being really young when they got a record deal. I remember the hype more than the music.
Combien d'albums indie mid reste-t-il dans cette liste?
Sounds like bad weezer
A collection of great songs but way too fucking long. This is getting a three for that reason alone
This album went a little too long for me. Fitting for its time, but not meshing well over time. Below par for me on this. Not sure what the group was aiming for when they wrote this album.
Not bad. ★★★
Vamos hoy con una banda que me suena de nombre. Creo haber visto su logo antes, así que ahora lo descubriremos. Empieza fuerte y al medio, en la línea de la reseña oficial: Sonic Youth. Luego, sigue dentro del registro de, por ejemplo, Weezer y se mantiene así hasta el final, a veces más arriba, otras, más estable. Gran sorpresa que me dio ganas de seguir escuchando esta banda. Gracias y hasta mañana.
When they finished writing a song, did they listen to it and thought: oh let’s make it a bit weirder, so we’d appear “cooler”? Goldfinger definitely sounds like that. Very strange choices for chords at several random points. Most tracks have pop genre but some are weirdly mutated to something else. His voice and his tone are actually good and somehow can be recognisable. This pulled the album back to a 3 for me.
I could see how someone would get into this band, and maybe I’m just content with the amount of 90’s music I know and love, but it didn’t really do anything for me. It felt generic and try-hard, like it lacked passion for art but had passion for being famous. Kung-Fu was terrible. Might as well just start listing Chinese Food dishes with how surface level that word association was. They reference 2 Chinese Actors, a Chinese character, a Chinese caricature written by an English guy, a Japanese character, Thailand, and the X-Men? Pick a lane instead of just forcing pan-Asian things into a shitty narrative.
this was aight. pretty decent rock record, but nothing really to write home about
The album starts out with the tie-fighter sound effect. That’s awesome. I was a fan of this one, a lot of fun for an album that clearly needs a little more polish in the studio and might sound like Weezer here and there. 90s alternative rock will always get high marks from me.
I loved this album! It's not that deep or technically impressive. It's just has a great indie rock sound. It's like eating a good burger. I'm not going to tell people that they have to get it, but I'll order it any day of the week.
yep, fond memories
melodic nirvana, less grungey than expected, liked last song, wish it had hidden track built in
Too generic
Coming in like they were the long-awaited successors to the Undertones, these lads blasted onto the scene in the middle of the Britpop phase. But don't call them a Britpop band; they were much better than that. This is a tremendous debut: Lose Control's ascending opening riff will hook you in, Goldfinger and Girl from Mars will have you reminiscing; and from then on, you are their puppet. The pace doesn't let up (apart from Oh Yeah, but even that one is less dreamy than it first appears) and they deserved every plaudit that came their way. I cannot believe this is 30 years old this year. It's not fair. Take me back to the 90s so I can live this like the first time...
This is good, but it's not remarkable. It doesn't offer anything I don't get from other bands. That Sugar album from a couple months ago was way better than this. I enjoy listening to it and I think they're a good band, but this certainly doesn't need to be listened to by everyone before they die.
Competent, but not distinctive and I can't see any reason I would go back to it. A name I remember from back in the day, but didn't pay attention to them then.
Amazing album. So much fun. Fav song: Girl from Mars, Oh Yeah, Gone the dream
What a nice surprise! Never even heard of the band, but really enjoyable and bit chaotic (diverse) music.
I didn't really have any comments. It was background music and it seemed over fast.
Good tunes. Nothing remarkable though. 2 outta 5
This was quite good
Never heard of these guys. Sooooo 90s. Garage rock that sounds more California than County Down. Quality varied with some of the b sides being a bit meh
Good, energetic power pop/alternative rock album from the mid-90s. One of the few albums from Northern Ireland on this list.
Cool.beans
Enjoyed some of this
Completely and utterly pretty okay
really really like goldfinger
Very repetitive. I think I would like most of these tracks individually, but the album just blends together into something more bland than it's parts.
Pretty inoffensive grunge-lite. Some of the tracks have a pretty decent crunchy groove.
continuing the rock trend after the last album i listened to, this one is a lot less elegant and more in your face, stereotypically punk. this album is pretty solid, especially if you like british pop or rock music. ideal music that you'd listen to as a rebellious teenager, jumping on your bed and wishing mom would stop bothering you. not every song is a winner, sometimes i feel like the overall theming can be a little crazy... but for a genre like this, it's pretty damn good.
en formula som jag inte är särskilt förtjust i och har gjorts av många andra, med riktigt tråkig sång över. dock väldigt bra tone och sound
Rätt bra, men lite lika när man lyssnar på hela. Tror bara albumet är i genomsnitt "bra" men inte så mycket sticker ut, men man hör hur andra band har inspirerats
Somehow this one entirely slipped past me even though it's from my era. I liked it. Might listen to it again sometime.
Empezó medio paja y rectificó. 3.5
One of the rare albums were I like the later tracks more than the beginning.
Shit, this was fucking good. No clue who Ash was before this but might have to listen to more now. Lot to digest, all good.
Nada que me impresione.
unpretentious 90s rock
Struggled between a 4 and 5 for this one. Yes, sounds similar to lots of things, but teenage me would have loved this if I'd heard it sooner. Also, I get the grunge references, but I somehow like this more than Sonic Youth and some of the others already on the list. Feels a little more pop-punky, which I like. Okay, talked myself into the 5. 5/5
Super fun 90's rock album. Definitely a relic of the time, but that's not a drawback.
Influenced by a lot of music from 10 years or more before, added nothing to it
Kinda gay
Pleasantly surprised by this album. Had never heard of Ash, but they do have some decent hooks.
I was expecting something else entirely. This was a bit to “rip your face off” rock than I was expecting. I didn’t mind the songs and the vibe, but the guitar tone was really sharp and grating I found it hard to enjoy and the vocals were mediocre. I’m sure this was peak in this genre mid 90s but I won’t listen again.
Catchy mix of 90s styles.
I'm surprised I've never heard of this band. Very 90s for sure. It's decent. 3/5 #194
The album is okay but the live show of this band would probably be a better way to evaluate them. 3 stars or C.
First half of the album is a 4/5. Good lyrics throughout.
The first three songs were superb
I liked this
= the Beatles
I don't know how to rate this one. When the opening guitar track hit, I was positive this was going to be a 5 star listen for me. Then the vocals arrived. It's not so much that he's a bad singer, as it is that his voice doesn't really match the band's energy. Overall, I added Kung Fu and Darkside Lightside to Liked Songs, but probably only because they had more band and less singer.
Another bland album rounding off a tough week for me. I’m not sure how many times I’ll write “no idea why this is on the list”, but undoubtedly several times more. I’ve no idea why this is on the list. It’s nothing remarkable. Student rock that isn’t going to change anyone’s lives. Some second hand riffs and teenage lyrics. It’s ok for what it is. They got better when the girl joined as at least her vocals added something to their sound.
I really liked the variation of guitar sounds and the musical progression from major to minor keys. It was an interesting sounding rock album. Another late 90s rock winner.
Punky, poppy rock music that so many were doing in the early 90s. Good, but maybe not essential
Sleepy voice and punk rhythm, nothing strikes me.
17/08/2025 I've never really given Ash a go and this album was okay. Spotify listeners: 528.2k
Very of it's time. Wholly unoriginal but not wholly unfun. I feel this album falls into a magic perfectly-average place. It would have benefitted greatly from shaving 10-15 minutes off the runtime. Rolling Stone Magazine watch: zero mentions in the album Wikipedia page. Well done Ash. Well done.
I love Ash and was stoked to see them on this list. It was like walking into a fine-dining restaurant and seeing a dirty ol’ hotdog on the menu.
Unohtunut bändi kokonaan, vaikka tuli joskus tykiteltyä tätä. Inspiroi kuuntelemaan myös Free All Angelsin, joka on parempi levy kuin tää 1977. 4,25/5.
This definitely doesn’t belong on the list. They were obviously followers, not leaders. In their defense, they were very young when they recorded this and it doesn’t sound half bad, but for almost every song it’s obvious who they try to sound like. Yet somehow they got in the book and Therapy? didn’t. Favorite song: Kung Fu.
Weezer-coded
I vaguely recognised the song "Girl from Mars" from Gilmore Girls. I knew it was a Jess & Rory scene but I had the context wrong... apparently it's from the end of his first episode according to the interweb. I thought it was from a later episode in the scene where Jess is smoking at the petrol station (so dangerous!) Jess's first episode is a great episode of Gilmore Girls. I'd likely give it 5 stars. Time to review the album... this was fine to good. I could see why some people would really enjoy this. 3 stars feels apt.
They really play to their influences. It's alright
High school indie eitthvað. Aðeins of mörg skrítin álegg þótt grunnurinn sé góður.
Góð plata hjá unglingasveitinni Ash. Þétt og góð. Leiðinlegt að þeir skyldu ekki ná lengra en þeir gerði. Besta lag Goldfinger.
Ash’s 1977 is a punchy, nostalgic blast of '90s teen spirit—gritty guitars, catchy hooks, and zero pretension. Girl From Mars and Kung Fu still hit like adrenaline shots. If you were into Ash back then, this album feels like a wild summer you never quite got over.
A below average entry from a genre I'm typically a fan of. A few songs stood out on this to me, but the overall experience wasn't super memorable in any way.
Absolute mediocrity
It’s an Irish alternative rock band who are basically doing Oasis but with a faster tempo. ‘Lose Control’ was a great opening track, it was tuned down and had a more punk edge than the rest of the songs, and I wish they did more like that. ‘Kung Fu’ and ‘Let It Flow’ were good, but the bulk of the album was kinda bland. 3/5, it was good in spots, but mainly just OK.
I had never listened to this album and really enjoyed some of the guitar sounds they were experimenting with. But this got a little old as the tracks continued. It felt like a new guitar effects peddle had been purchased for each track and its settings all turned up to 12. Interesting.
Such a blast from the past! I remember they played ‘Oh yeah’ and ‘girl from mars’ a fair bit on Triple J back in the day! I’m pretty sure one of these songs was on a hottest 100! I haven’t listened to the band since, and hearing this album made me think of all the band that nearly reached fame, but disappeared - I wonder what happen to Ash?
i liked the first 1/2 more than the 2nd, but it was super fun
Perfectly fine middle of the road modern rock.
Another one of the those millions of those mid1990s bands that I deftly swerved, never listening to them on the radio or buying an album. In this club would be Mansun, Ocean Colour Scene, Dodgy, Cast, Shed Seven, Charlatans ad nauseum. Within that context I didn't think this album was too bad. It was rockier than I expected, harder guitars which I liked, but didn't go anywhere interesting enough for a higher score.
Pretty good. Bunch of songs had a familiar beat. Almost felt like an homage band. 6.0
4.5/5
Whatever this 'wall of electric guitar noise' genre is is very much not for me. There is nothing in the melody I can grasp on to and enjoy. The lyrics are also extremely unimaginative. This is also one of those albums that make me so glad I can avoid the radio now.
Every song sounds the same.
Not much here of interest. Most of the tracks sound like generic mid-90s alt-rock.
Goldfinger is so peak
Meh didn't finish.
Indie Thursday down the city centre. Sticky dancefloor and that really cute DJ who never made eye contact with anyone. A brief fling smoking cigarettes. 1970s polyester shirts matched with corduroy miniskirts. That's this album. Except it's the b-tier version. Still some great songs: Goldfinger, especially.
Is it incredibly generic? Yes. But is it enjoyable mid-90’s radio rock? Also yes. There’s nothing spectacular here, no real edge, but it’s a solid band and a real departure from the other Britpop of the time.
I didn't like this in 1996 and don't like it now. P.S. Why isn't Placebo on this list??
Lame generic ripoff or every song from 93 to 95
Some nice sounds - very diverse. Wah peddle and orchestra is a weird mix. Sounds overproduced. Overall a decent listen but nothing I would repeat. Definitely a product of its time.
I think that if i would have encountered this album in 2001 when I was 17, it would have checked all my boxes of distortion, guitars, and crash cymbals. As it was, it didn't hit as hard. Fine overall.
some of my favorite crunchy guitars from a time when i was beginning to choose my own music and a bonus that it really annoyed my dad at the time.
For some reason listening to this the day after Motorhead was really funny to me. A lot of the music is fun and a bit grungy/heavy but then the vocals were like.....very Oasis but maybe...listen I wouldn't bet that the singer put a lot of money into lessons. It was Fine but also felt lackluster in the distinct sense of it sounding like Every 1990s Dude Band? Kind of curious about their earlier work more than this one based on the critic reviews/comparisons. 2.5
1977 – Ash (1996) | Britpop / Punk Pop / Alternative Rock | Avg: 6.36 | Favorite Song: “Girl from Mars” 1977 is scrappy, hooky, and packed with the kind of youthful urgency that defines a debut like this. “Girl from Mars” easily rose to the top for me. It’s got that perfect mix of melody and punch, and it captures everything Ash does well in under four minutes. There’s an infectious energy across the album, and when the band is locked in, they really hit a sweet spot between pop catchiness and garage-rock grit. That said, the consistency isn’t quite there. A handful of tracks in the middle and toward the end start to blur together, either losing steam or leaning too heavily on attitude without enough substance. It’s fun, but sometimes a little shallow. Still, even with its uneven pacing, 1977 has a charm that’s hard to deny. It doesn’t try to be deep. It's Ash wanting to be loud, fast, and fun. And when it sticks to that formula, it delivers.
Definitely one of the albums made! Good!
Greet nostalgia for me - took me back to being 13 again! But... I never liked how Wheeler's vocals are buried in the mix. Maybe he just doesn't have a strong voice. Good but not great!
Best Song: Angel Interceptor. I liked the running bassline. Worst Song: Kung Fu. This feels like a bunch of dorks trying to write what they hope will be a hit track with the mainstream public. Overall: It's inoffensive, but it kind of just feels like discount Weezer. Music for 90s film protagonists who, despite having no redeeming qualities, are determined to Get The Girl by the end of the movie.
Didn’t do anything for me
(4.5) i liked this
No los conocía y me recuerdan a Weezer, no me ha disgustado el disco, pero tampoco me ha dicho gran cosa.
Too many affectations and weird guitar effects to make this a serious effort. They distract from the overall feel and stall the sound in the 90's pigeonhole. Also, it chugs along too much for my personal tastes.
I quite liked this one. Felt like there was some decent variation between songs although some were definitely more my thing than others. Fav song: Girl from Mars Least fav: Darkside Lightside
Really enjoyed gold finger and girl from mars, thought I would love this album but it ended up just devolving a bit. Disappointing. Specific rating- 3.8 Fav song- goldfinger Least fav - dark side light side
I didn't not like it. But it didn't really excite me either. Pretty unremarkable. Favourite song: Girl From Mars Least: I'd Give You Anything
This one came out swinging. The first stretch was so strong I really thought it had a shot at a full 5, but the back half lost a little steam for me. Still, there is a lot here that works. The TIE Fighter intro on “Lose Control” was an immediate point in its favor. “I’d Give You Anything” has a riff that sounds a lot like “N.I.B.,” which I liked, and “Let It Flow” was a banger. That early run had a ton of energy and made the album really easy to get into. It does fade some later on, but not enough to drag it down too much. Favorite song: "Let It Flow"
Good alt/punk album, really enjoyed Girl From Mars
Not for me
Average music.
Yay
Weezer ahh album. Guay, normalito pero guay. Canción favorita: Gone The Dream A destacar: Que en el inicio de la canción "Lose control" hayan sampleado el sonido de un Caza Tie de Star Wars 3/5
Unique sound, Kung Fu single best album cover :-)
Unremarkable mid-90s indie rock. Ash had their Britpop spotlight moment, but regional success rarely translates to lasting relevance. Unfortunately, 1977 is long enough to reveal it is more mundane and flawed than innovative or interesting.
Wall of sound and shredding with some hooks sprinkled in. Definitely a post-Nirvana record if there ever was one. There are some cool moments and good songs (“Girl From Mars” is an obvious highlight), but as a back-to-front album it falls flat. Almost all the songs feel bloated and longer than they actually are. By the end it’s gotten old.
I liked this one. Not the vibe I was expecting
Pretty good sound.
6.5/10 Highlights: Lose Control Goldfinger Id Give You Anything Darkside Lightside Innocent Smile
Op momenten was het echt lachen maar net niet vaak genoeg.
I enjoyed it
eh
Very fun. I would’ve liked it more as a teen tho
nah
Never heard of them before, came out strong out of the gate. First 3 tracks were great, after that the album kind of got a little boring and blurred together. Still solid 90s rock album.
This is #day367 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I've never heard of this band before, and after hearing this record, it's no surprise why. Occasionally fine guitar pop with '90s American alternative rock influences galore. Otherwise, an inessential listen. Terribly long to boot. I guess I'm landing on a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day368.
Never been keen on the vocals, but still a great catchy album
Its not my favorite Ash album but is very solid and has a great energy to it still.
3/5.
I went away thinking this was released in 1977 and was thinking "wow, this is seriously ahead of its time". Now I'm forced to accept this is pretty passable even if it's just the same kind of sound all the alt rock had at the time.
Very cool album. I didn’t know what to expect but it was great. Part grunge, part alternative. And the songwriting is really good.
a very average 90’s album, didn’t love it didn’t hate it
I loved it. Real good album, loving the riffs .
Solide Band, die Lieder würde ich größtenteils auf jeden Fall wieder hören. Ich muss sagen das sich die Singstimme für mich ein bisschen dümmlich angehört hat haha. Ich weiß auch nicht, ich fande es ein bisschen lustig diese Roch Musik zu hören und dann seine Stimme dazu. In manchen Songs hatte mir die Band fast schon zu viel Power. Z.b fande ich das Lied "Innocent Smile" ganz cool, jedoch war die 2. hälfte einfach nur anstrengend. Und etwas was mich auch gestört hat, war das man teilweise die Singstimme nicht richtig gehört hat und gefühlt nur die Band. Lieblingssongs: Girl from Mars (kannte ich aber schon), Goldfinger, Gone the Dream, Kong fu (klingt irgendwie wie so ein Highschool song)
Meh, it's not really doing anything for me. This is like a bunch of stereotypes of 90s rock
Not bad - some good rock sounds and grooves, but not outstanding.
Really liked this. Not a band I had ever heard before. Although I could hear what bands had influenced them, they did not merely mimic, but took those influences and wove them into a tapestry all their own. Also appreciated the Star Wars sound effect to start the album, given the title. I’ll be looking for more if they have more out there.
Had never heard these guys before and enjoyed this album very much. Melodic post-punk that's like a cross between Green Day and Nada Surf with a pinch of Weezer thrown in. Liked the little touches like orchestral flourishes too. The song "Kung Fu" smacks of racism a bit but, otherwise, a very solid album.
Totally new-to-me band, hadn't even heard of them. Really unique, sounds kinda like if young Rivers Cuomo fronted Dinosaur Jr. Enjoyed most it a lot, especially the songs that end with fuzzy guitar freakouts.
2.9 I'm not sure what this band are really adding. I'm not saying every band has to be unique, but it looks like they're leaning far too heavily into Sonic Youth/Dinosaur JR, with shades of Weezer/Nirvana. It just sounds like a cheap imitation. Only good track was the (practically Daydream Nation ripoff) Innocent Smile.
Optional album review. Add it before you vote below
Good drums and some catchy guitar scattered across an alright album 2.75/5
The third best Teenage Fanclub album
mid-90’s rock, and while it sounds dated at times, if you’re in the mood for it, it just might scratch that itch.
Struggling to finish this list because of average albums like this one.
Слушал без раздражения. Но в конце последнего трека звуки рвоты изрядно испортили впечатление от альбома и команды в частности. 5,5 из 10.
Um bom álbum de rock alternativo. QoA Vesper.
It’s not outstanding in any way, but pretty good. I can hear some Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. and perhaps even som Heatmiser on here
Found myself enjoying this far more than I thought I would. I wouldn’t say it gets to brings great. But it’s solid. 3/5
Cut the overall time on this by a third and it would be so much better. Not every song has to be over 4 minutes! Still, better than I expected considering I had never heard of these guys. I assume their inclusion boils down to "semi-popular, from Northern Ireland." Not exactly essential, though. Still, cool stuff.
Raw, honest, and unrestrained.
Much heavier than I expected and the Black Sabbath rip off was a bit blatant but not a bad effort all in all.
Don’t let my Innocent Smile fool you. This album will make you Lose Control.
- uuuhhhmmmm, ok. Sort of middling, somewhat competent. Not ground-breaking. Am I betraying my State-side bias? ..... 2.5 -
Utknęłam w jakimś piekle przeciętnych rockowych popłuczyn. Ta ma przynajmniej posmak dobrego britrocaka (chociaż zespół jest z Irlandii). Mimo to, kurcze no. Delikatny wokal, fajna gitarka i to by było na tyle. 6/10 i błagam o zmianę scenerii.
It was fine. Nothing spectacular. I forgot most of the songs once they were done but I wouldn’t mind hearing them again
I love britpop but never heard of Ash. After listening to this album, I see why. I'm not sure if it was my cars speakers, but some tracks the vocals sounded completely drowned out by the drums while other tracks sounded properly mixed. However, its low score is mainly because of how bad the vocals are. The lead singer's vocal range is almost non-existent. Lyrics are overly repetitive as well.
Solid album. Gives that 90s British rock sound, kinda like Oasis. Plenty enjoyable
Loved the guitar tone on this album. Several songs I listened to on repeat.
Meh. Very mid 1990's alternarock.
NOt great.
★⅘
solid rock
This is pretty average 90s alt-rock. Nothing sticks with me, very meh.
“Girl from Mars” is a decent if forgettable single. The rest of the album is undifferentiated, but very fuzzy, hard rock. It is no wonder this Britpop outfit stayed local.
We're into Proustian territory for the singles here, especially Girl From Mars. It's just a smashing song with a huge hook in it. It's tempting to wonder what this is doing in this list really, as it is quite run of the mill indie, but I was pleased to hear it.
It's fine. Like the exact type of plain and agreeable 90's punk record where a few tracks are pretty good and the rest you'll hear playing in a grocery store after enough time has passed
6.8/10
Pensaba que estaría mejor pero al final me sonó estilo álbum pop/punk promedio, sin más
Teenage album with rock/punk songs. Feels like it did not age well.
Some good singles and I'd like to like this more but apart from the hits it's a bit flat and samey.
90's Northern Irish alt rock band I'd never heard of? Feel I should've liked this more than I did, it was good but nothing really stood out about it. I guess they didn't have much staying power if I wasn't familiar with any of their songs. Probably won't keep listening.
i was bored by this music
Mid 90s rock album that had modest success in the uk and nowhere else. Apparently Ireland maybe. And I don’t think they are part of the uk. This was utterly average. Really didn’t want o finish it while on vacation but I did.
A good album, not great by any stretch. Ash are great songwriters but their style and production make some of songs a little dull. Love the heaviness of guitars with such a fragile voice!
His vocals really start to annoy me. Like he is pinching every last drop of pitch out of his throat. To high and forced
It started off really interesting and a good mix of mainstream but guitar rock. As the album went on though, they sort of mellowed and it still was good but not the edge I felt they had in the beginning. Solid and enjoyable but nothing life changing.
This is some scorching guitar work. I liked Lose Control and I'd Give You Anything. The rest was mostly blistering guitar with sing-songy vocal melodies that weren't that catchy. I don't feel like the violins on Gone The Dream really meshed that well with the crunchy guitar. Is Kung Fu a racist song? I don't know. We have to have songs about something other than falling in and out of love (which is at least 85% of all modern popular music). Pretty good but didn't really win me over enough to give it foursies.
I really enjoyed how rockin' this was. Overall, it was a bit muffled though, and it left me craving a crisper sound and crisper vocals. Loved jamming out to it despite that!
One I had never heard of and really didn’t do much for me.
Surprised this made it on the list. Definitely not my typical genre but also I thought it was meh.
Gikk mye på brakka på Heistadmoen. To stjerner for minnene og noen dønn solide låter.
This was an amazing album out of nowhere, pure grunge with really nice fuzzy distorted guitars and tinny drums which come together to create a really nice “blanket” of sound which is the best way to describe how I felt this album sounded like, it also all flowed together so well with great transitions. What a great debut album, generally one of the best I’ve heard. My only criticism is the start if side b with “oh yeah” which felt quite out of place with the rest of the album, sounding a bit too poppy, even the other singles which have a more catchy atmosphere still fit in with the album, I also wasn’t a massive fan of the actual song itself. Other than that though every song was great so will be a waste of time to name my favourites. Overall, 9.5/10.
Starts good enough, but after 5 or 6 rather boring and unremarkable songs I figured this album has no right to be on this list.
Das esch halt so es typisches Rockalbom us dere Uswahl. Onder Rock verstohd i dem Fall Ash vorallem Rockgitarre. Die stellt sie nähmlech vel z luut i was dezue füehrt, dass de räschtlech Song undergod. Klar, t Rockgitarre esch scho s stärchste, das heisst aber ned dass es nome Rockgitarre darf ha. Abgseh vo dem esches eigentlech no relativ guet. Jetzt ned bsonders abwächsligsriich oder so aber emmerhen geds einigi doch no relativ cooli lieder met guet Riffs ond spannende Ufbaute. Mer esches au no eifach gfalle s Albom dörezlose, allerdengs hani au öppis näbebi gmacht.
Kind of liked it. Heavier than I thought it would be. But I wonder if this band wasn't British, would they be in the book. Still, might revisit in the future.
Better than I was expecting. Pretty Rockin album from start to finish. Lots of big riffs, I can appreciate that.
Un très bon disque, mais un autre cas de pas pour moi. Un peu trop punk pop rock à mon goût.
I want to like this more than I do. It has so many elements that should add up to an album I really enjoy. But something in the production really saps all the energy that should be present. It comes off sounding really flat. That this made it on the list and Weezer's Blue Album didn't is maybe a war crime?
Dumb band name but surprisingly not that bad
This was unfortunately quite disappointing as an album. The vocals similar to the energy in most of this album flatlined, with transitions from songs being almost unnoticeable due to the same tempo and voice saying different words in the same repetitive. Was a chore to get through at 60+ mins also, and thus will receive 2/5.
Didn't really like this one tbf. Not one I'll go back to. It felt very tedious to listen to after a while. Bland, 90s alt pop.
The vocal is flat and this hasn't aged well. Why is this on the list? It would easily be replaced with Weezer - Pinkerton also released in 1996 and miles ahead of this. 2.5/5. Raising to a 3.
I see why these guys toured with Weezer, they definitely have that early Weezer sound in some parts. That’s fine with me though, and their other influences (punk and Sonic Youth being the strongest) are fun too. I’ll listen to this again, though it didn’t blow my mind
Heavier than expected. Started out pretty strong, but by the end of the album found it a little boring. Not bad, but not great
Non-descript Britpop/Power pop, why is it so compressed? I didn't hate it, but it didn't do much of anything for me and I probably wouldn't listen again.
Ooh, this one's right up my wheelhouse! Love getting a new discovery from the list. Probably just a 4/5 for now, but worth a re-listen.
Contains 90s anthems
Very 90s, lots of noise - I enjoyed it but don’t think it will really stick with me.
I mean I think by most standards this is a solid, sometimes fun, mid 90s indie pop album, and a safe three stars. And yet, I've always had a soft spot for the fuzzy production and how young these kids were when they made it, and the pureness of feeling they manage to get into some of the lines. 'I've got some records on and some bottles of wine...' Be interested to hear what the Weezer fans in the group (or group adjacent) make of this one. 3.5 ⭐ And go on then, half a point for nostalgia and for honestly still sounding pretty good today.
this is so whiny, even taking into consideration this came out in the mid 90s.
Hype songs
butrock
Degelijk alt-rock album uit de jaren 90 die exact ook klinkt hoe het zou moeten klinken. En als Pavement, Weezer, Buffalo Tom en Grant-Lee Buffalo fan vind ik dit uiteraard ook geweldig. 3.9
Kinda hear Nirvana in it but something I wouldn’t revisit
Boring
I have never heard of this and it's great! Very catchy songs and music, nothing too heavy. It's only knock is that late 90s production sameness to the guitars/bass. But, they've also thrown in cool harmonies, samples, and kind of psychedelic sounds here and there. Unexpected.
Nice
I listened to this album almost four times to figure out what I thought about it - Its OK. I hear a lot of promise when the group is really playing hard rock on... Lose Control and Darkside Light side, but everything in the middle is generally pretty toothless pop/alt rock with a noise lean. There are a couple standout moments in the middle: I'd Give You Anything is nice and loud, the strings on Oh Yeah are pleasant though the song is repetitive. All around not bad but really wished the band just went for it. 3/5
Heard of the band before. I had no idea what to expect but I just like 90s alternative rock music so I enjoyed this quite a bit. Altho it lacked stronger songs towards the end 3/5
When this one started, I was all in. A hard, fast, driving guitar sound with plenty of distortion and awesome solo work? Something that sounds like there's stakes, that something is imminent? Sign. Me. Up. Then it kinda slowed down a bit, but the intensity kept up, and I was cool with that because there was immediately some variety. Then it even got a little lighter with "Girl From Mars." Then it just kind of wavered between the vibe of the second, third and fourth tracks the rest of the album. Less distortion, less urgency, lighter vocals, and much less at stake. It got a little too samey as it went on. What really summarizes my opinion of this album though, is this: I thought it was good, I just didn't think it was super interesting. Like it had all the pieces of an album I should love, and that made it kind of uninteresting to me. Which is a bummer because there's a lot of potential here for something really cool hear. There were flashes of Oasis, The Beatles, Nirvana, Pixies and plenty of other influences from across decades. It just came together as something that I didn't quite love. But still, solid. Three stars. I just see some lost potential here and that bums me out. Standout Tracks: Lose Control, Girl From Mars, Gone the Dream, Innocent Smile
Boring
I wasn't really sure about this one, but it was easy to listen to.
Nothing special.
This is exactly the generic alt-rock that got far too much radio play in the 90s. No idea why this would be recommended - it's neither good nor interesting.
Rating: 4/10 Nah. Choice cut: Lose Control
Ik ken de band, maar als ik kijk naar de tracklist kan ik niet zeggen dat ik hier nummers van ken. Misschien word ik verrast. Eigenlijk nemen we natuurlijk geen deel aan deze tsjellunch om in ons eigen hokje te blijven, maar ik moet toch zeggen dat het wel lekker is om eventjes soort van thuis te komen. Na een paar albums aanpoten ligt dit namelijk meer in m'n straatje. Een soort power-pop / garage-rock met lekker gruizige gitaren, wat consternatie, een zanger die niet per sé geschikt is om gevoelige Adele nummers te coveren maar voor zo'n soort band gewoon prima levert en een wat melancholisch geluid. Een beetje een mix van Oasis, The Ataris, Semisonic en (nu we toch in de sonic-hoek zitten) Sonic Youth. Ik hou de 5e ster wel in m'n binnenzak want dat zou ik net wat overdreven vinden en heel af en toe is het me nét iets te druk/noisy, maar ik kan hier makkelijk 4 sterren voor uitdelen.
very good 90s power pop, big fan of this.
- A lot of the tracks seem a bit random. - There is some flow, but most do not mesh well.
As soon as I hear that TIE fighter howl from the start of Lose Control, I'm in my early 20s again, spending way too many hours grinding away on the licenses on the original Gran Turismo. Ash's contribution to the GT soundtrack was one of the more memorable songs (three Feeder songs, really?) - they were, like me, of "the Star Wars generation", hitting their 20s at the height of Britpop... they should have been right up my alley. But I never quite warmed to them as much as I might have been expected to on paper. From the smart indie-pop of Goldfinger, down to the catchy 90s punk of Kung Fu the singles from 1977 are all decent offerings. For the rest of the album the hooks are spread a little thinly, and the reliance on balls-to-the-floor wall of sound guitars comes across as a back-up plan when the hooks aren't cutting it. I suppose the frustration with Ash is that the best moments from their debut point to something more sophisticated and refined which they never really quite delivered. Two stars may seem harsh - I did consider three, and it's not too far off - it's a solid debut, but, while it is of my era and presses the nostalgia buttons, it is all just a little bit superficial and, most of the time, dumb.
I knew all of the hits off this album from when it was first released. The rest was new to me, and surprised me a bit as it matched the quality of the releases rather than just being filler. It's not a great piece of music, but it would feel churlish to give it less than 3 stars.
Note to self: 1 star = Rated, but shouldn’t exist, a waste of studio time, imo 2 star = Not good 3 star = Ok/Good 4 star = Great 5 star = Desert island disc, there shouldn’t be too many of these! Perfect album length for me around 40mins, if over an hour long it has to be a truly awesome album for me not to subtract a star.
Pretty good album 👍
idk i was exxpecting better
Surprisingly not bad. Started off as not my cup of tea, but it kind of got me after a bit.
Not even close to a must listen. So many better options from this era/genre.
Meh, fine. Made me want to listen to the band Hum who I really like.
I didn’t think this would be up my alley, but I liked it quite a bit. Girl From Mars was on the Gilmore Girls soundtrack, but the rest was new to me. A little Weezery, a Teenage Fanclub in places. I’d listen again.
I liked it. Never hear of them. It was a little long and I was ready for it to be over by the end. Chop 20 minutes off of this, and it would’ve gotten a 4.
6/2/25. Wow, feel like this one is a sleeper hit for me! Really catchy and great guitar work, very underrated. Really enjoyed it. Never heard of Ash before this but will check out more of their music.
Really like this. Fuse of Britpop and garage rock.
not my style
Aight
Another one that I struggle to deem list worthy.
Got to track 4 before I quit because it became headache-inducing noise
A lot of pleasant songs
Couple of fun ones. Doesn’t dip too low in quality.
Ehhh....overrated.
Pretty solid indie rock album, hadn’t heard of it before!
Bored by this
uhm .. yeah i guess this was fine idek
Not sure how to feel about them. Overall, I liked it. Good listen and a bit more punk on the pop-punk scale.
Very good album with some great songs on it.
Are you fucking for real with this proto Foo Fighters bullshit? Pick a genre that you want to rip off (including NIB by Black Sabbath) and try to do that one right.
I had a few of their albums but hadn’t listened in awhile. This was one I didn’t have. It’s fantastic. Guitars for days! Some songs sounded like weezer. Some like the stooges. Some like Dino jr. Good ass 90s rock.
I dont think I heard of them. But they were pretty good
This is a solid album that lies somewhere on between rock, pop and garage. I liked it. Liked Songs Added: Lose Control Oh Yeah Let It Flow Innocent Smile
Vocals were not the greatest but I thought this was a solid 90s album for its type, more singles that I recognised than I expected to.
Powerful memories of MTV2. I didn’t realise Ash were around as early as that. Bit bland.
Pass.
This jams. Never heard this when it came out (except for Girls From Mars) but I would have liked it.
Favorites: Girl from Mars, Oh Yeah, Let It Flow, Darkside Lightside I was not expecting to like this one as much as I did. Some really great power pop elevated by an obvious love for making music that Ash display throughout the entire record. It feels fun and fresh!
NPC album, nothing about it stands out
This is where it becomes obvious that this book was written by British music critics, because this is essentially a UK version of Weezer, but with worse songs, singing, and guitar playing. There are at least three Weezer albums that should have made the list ahead of this. All that said, this is fuzzed-out Power Pop with a Britpop flair, so what’s not to like?
Pretty classic alt 90s.
We are like 60% of the way there on this one. I grew up in the pop punk era. And this is the beginnings of it being dragged out of the muck. It has that punk DNA but it's completely in the 90s here. It feels like exactly like alot of other stuff of the time but also it's own. Im not sure but it's alright. Girl from mars is funny and silly. Like a thing that a 12 year old would write but I mean so was half that stuff I liked when I was also 12. I enjoyed this but not all the way
Grrëk grrëk
I have never heard this album before and am instantly in love with it. Maybe I am just a sucker for anything Northern Ireland Grung Rock. This totally would have been something I would have come back to over and over again in high school and feel nestolgic listening to it even though I never actually listened to it in my youth. Yet, here we are. Glad to have stumbled on this.
This was ok. Didn’t realize hit for me.
I don’t like the cover. Looks like a shittie 90s band. Sounds like a shittie 90s band I don’t like the guitar sound The voice is ok.
Didn’t like it
Lots of guitar shredding, overall fun and enjoyable alt rock
Surprised I had never heard this album before. After listening it just fell flat and nothing made me hit repeat.
Ook zo'n easy listening album waar verder niet genoeg blijft hangen om het in de toekomst nog een keer op te zoeken.
Live stuff was better
Not totally in love with all of it but this is very much my kind of thing
Quite a few songs I remember from the 90’s. Not a huge fan but appreciate the memories
not really my cup of tea actually. it sounds too much like Nirvana but it's not bad i guess, just not for me and that's okay:)
Honestly? This is a decent album. Almost a perfect capsule of what early era pop/punk tended to sound like before all the gloss was applied in later years. This particular LP seems to lean towards the more awkward-on-purpose production that Weezer were famous for with The Blue Album and Pinkerton - just less refined. Messy riffs, imperfect vocals, catchy melodies, and lyricism that that was both impressive and spoke to teens in the 90’s. It somehow both feels like a piece of work from its time and one that stands the test of it. Particular standouts: Goldfinger, Girl From Mars, Kung Fu, Let it Flow, Innocent Smile, Angel Interceptor. It’s a strong pop punk album, no doubt. But its place on this list is very questionable. Especially when the band I mentioned before, Weezer, who clearly have a level of influence over Ash’s sound is a glaring omission. That’s not an attack on ‘1977’, but in the grand scheme of things - not many are listing Ash as a big player in shaping pop punk as we know it today. They’re simply a good band in a sea of great bands. Still, it’s worth a listen. It won’t waste your time if you’re a fan of the genre. 3/5
Big year 1977. Of course Elvis died. We had dinner with him the week before it all happened. He was supporting Houmous & Chutney on their UK tour as a surprise guest. Len made a particularly heavy and dense rice pudding. We aren’t sure if that is what actually set off the chain of events! He really did wolf it down. We had to tell him to slow down. Len never made another rice pudding - a blessing in disguise! 2.5
3.5
Never heard of them before! It’s good, it’s not memorable. To be fair I was listening at work and didn’t really give it my full attention. I liked the 90s sound and I’ll have to give it a full listen later.
When the music mags are raving about a new band and their great new debut, then your local Our Price puts the cassette at a special price of £3.99, yes, you race there after school on release day to grab it. 1977 became my life for basically the whole summer and second half of 1996. I bought it soon after saving up for my first electric guitar so it became an album I listened to in great detail as I figured out the chords to Goldfinger and tried to nail the solos in Lose Control (and failed. I was a 13-year-old beginner, to be fair.) So there is zero chance of an objective rating or review here. A part of my heart belongs to this album and it will always be a personal favourite. There were five UK singles on this album and they are all perfect examples of the kind of pop/punk that had emerged in the shadows of Britpop for those of us who liked Britpop just fine, but also wanted something with a bit more edge and a bit less irony. There were also some solid rockers in between the catchier singles and Tim Wheeler was an underrated guitarist, considering the guy was also a teenager at this point. With all that said, I actually think they went on to make a comfortably better album with 2001's Free All Angels. I can gladly listen to this badboy though, any day, from front to back.
Not bad but yeah there’s similar better bands doing the same thing at the same time. Maybe if the vocals were at all understandable…
I enjoyed this listen. But nothing stood out to me. Perfectly fine
Legal, ouvir mais
A bit messy at times, but mostly nice. The vocals are a bit low energy though.
Love it so much
A pastiche of 90s sounds here. Some moments are clearly Sonic Youth, or Nirvana, or Pixies, sometimes in quick succession. But the core sound is a low-talent college band. The singer is especially under-accomplished. Not impressed at all by this album. Why wasn't a better band given this opportunity?
Girl from Mars, Oh yeah… loved this when it came out, bought the single and played it all summer when it came out. I saw them live at the TW Forum when the album first came out in 97.
This album is okay, it just overstays its welcome a little too long. If it was 30-40 minute, it would be a 4. But 50 minutes is actually insane for anybody.
Really good.
Nope, not for me, not a fan
Girl from Mars. Tune. The rest were fine. Simpsons: No
Girl from Mars was very good, I'd listen to that again. A few other alright tunes, and plenty of boring ones.
Girl from Mars is probably the standout track on here, the rest aren't bad, solid mid table
It was fine