1977

not bad, pretty impressive this came out in the 70s, this sounds straight of the 90s 6/10

6/10

6/10

Britpop meets 90s punk, well executed. Favorite Track: Girl From Mars Relisten: Yes

It was fine

Classic, fun as teenager, bit annoying as adult..

Solid Pop Rock but nothing special

Rough start but it gets better. I enjoyed listening to the album, some songs are really good but I really did not like the lead singer's voice.

An interesting mix of moods

Super-heavy riffs and wall-of-noise distortion too frequently ends up with straightforward and uninspired songwriting. Moments of headbanging greatness.

Rating: 6/10

So I'm listening to the first song at blow your speakers volume while I start to peruse the wiki notes. First thing I notice is the Wiki notes say that say Ash was influenced by Abba and Paul Mcartny and Wings. I said: “Pardon?” This must be a joke right? Wiki also says they got the name Ash from reading the dictionary. As a kid I remember thinking I should read the dictionary. I never got past A either. I'm surprised they got as far as the word Ash. I wonder if the Zombies got their name when they were reading the dictionary but started at the back. It would explain the brutal choice of name. Anyway, I found this album to be the heavy enough to grab your attention but not so much to be grouped in outdated and painfully boring heavy metal genre.

They've got an energetic raw sound, some catchy melodies and a lot of spirit. I would have liked to listen to them at higher volume, but my co-judge (who was driving) told me to turn that f%#?@!g mess down, because it was giving her a headache. She also pointed out that the lyrics were "lame", but I countered that that was only on the ballads, when you could actually make out what they were saying. I will give them the benefit of the doubt and round up.

I got sick of all the Brit Pop bands in the 90s (yes, you Oasis) so I tuned them out and missed out on this band. The scorching guitars in the first song grabbed my attention and I was intrigued for the rest of the ride. I read that they were a bunch of 17 yr olds that made this, impressive. Great driving guitars with a melodic vocal overlay. They did it way better than Oasis and Blur IMO. I also hear some Dinosaur Jr, Ramones and Buzzcocks here, but hey if you have to steal, might as well be from the best. This is a FUN record!

this album sounded like a high school band who gave up after a few songs, i liked a few but it sounds like they got a little bored while singing but i did like it

I probably would have liked this more as a teenager in the mid-90's. In fact, I know I would have.

Meh

La voz es un poco rara y a veces como que se quedan un poco a medias entre ser alternativos y tener un sonido poprock bonito Pero me ha gustado o sea está disfruton

Ian Wood. Ja, wij kennen die man! Heus! Heel Discovery Channel praat hij vol met 'but there's a problem'. Is het niet bij de pyramide bouwer, of bij uw pizzabezorger op z'n brommer, of een aal die wil gaan paren in de natuur, dan is het wel bij het draaien van Ash - 1977, na nummer 2 a 3 a 4. De rest van de dag heb ik besteed aan Lemonheads' oevre. Mijn gemoed staat weer op een 4. Ian, you can the pot up.

I enjoyed this. It was slightly above average, but not good enough for 4 stars.

Pretty ok.

The common rock album

This album is a conventional pop-punk album. It isn't terribly ground-breaking, but does sound like the era of its creation.

Good instrumentals, I dont like the vocals

Eh Irish punkish spoon kinda

These guys were so hyped in the mid-90s I got sick of them before I ever listened. This is actually a decent album, I'm surprised how many songs I know already, that hype must've worked. There are two types of song here, the surefire hits and the fillers. The hits are a fun listen, half of this album would have been better than all of it.

Great little power pop/punk album. BT: Goldfinger, Girl From Mars, Kung Fu

Not bad

Enjoyed this, was better than I expected. ***

Makkelijk plaatje, goede herinneringen aan! Wel een beetje gare zang.

I had higher hopes for this album with the sick guitar at the beginning, but feel like it just kinda went straight to edgy rock that I wasn't as fond of

Fun album. Enjoyed listening to it. Youthful energy. Some really great songs. A bit of filler. May benefit from previous familiarity.

Ganzen Tag schon "Girl From Mars" als Ohrwurm, und ich mag ihn gern. Überhaupt, die Hits: Oh Yeah, Angel Interceptor und eben Girl From Mars, da soll erstmal jemand kommen und noch bessere Pop-Punk-Smasher raushauen. Rest der Platte geht für mich bisschen unter, ist aber auch nicht schlecht. Meine volle Sympathie geht heute mit 3.4 Punkten nach Belfast!

Clássico do Grungee, aquela pegada rasgada depois de uma estrutura melosa, mostrando o que parece ser uma irritação com seu lado sentimental.

Not horrible. It opens with a tie fighter fly by. Sounds like 1996 in a time capsule. Sounds like these songs should be in Euro Trip or some other teen movie. It's a poor man's Space Hog. "I'd Give You Anything" is a nice riff.

first time listening to "ash". 3/5, maybe 4 if I was in a good mood.

Had this as a teenager, totally fancied the singer. "Girl from mars" was a huge hit, didn't realise they were widely recognised outside Ireland, quite surprised to see this album on this list, considering all the better and more influential albums I can think of. It's fun and nostalgic, pop/pop-punk/rock. Vocals are weak at best, often out of tune, certainly sounds like a 17 yo recording in their garage. Not much cohesiveness in style from song to song - "Girl from mars" is this cutesy low-fi pop song, followed by "I'd give you anything" that has kinda classic-rock/metal-ish guitar chords/solo with some out of tune "singing" on top, was a bit painful to listen through that song. 3 is being generous, extra points for nostalgia.

Very middle of the road for me... I like the style okay, but it wasn't very distinct. Fell into the background for me

Super 90s. Wow.

Stuck because it was solid classic garage rock and there were a few great songs individually but the album didn't have a distinct vision or sound. prob 3.5 if I could

It's a good album. Mostly nostalgic for me.

Solid.

Ah, eräs teinivuosien suosikkibändeistä jota en tosiaankaan olettanut näkeväni tällä listalla. Soundit ovat paljon nuhaisemman kuuloiset kun olin muistellut. Muutenkin meno on vähän väljähtäneen oloista eikä tämä jaksa enää innostaa ihan niin paljoa kuin nuorempana. Ehkä muutenkin Free All Angels oli enemmän mun juttu Ash-levyistä. Korvamatoisat kertsit kyllä toimii edelleenkin!

Good album. Another one that definitely sounds like the time.

Not a bad album, but not an amazing one either, felt a bit meh at time.

decent punkish . almost pop pretty decent

Somewhere between Warped Tour and Nirvana. Took me a few listens to get through, can be a little whiny. Still, I enjoy the vibe of ordering a fancy coffee in a hipster cofffeeshop in Seattle while this blares over the speakers. Favorite tracks: "I'd Give You Anything", "Innocent Smile"

This is really forgettable.

A fun album, but nothing special for the genre in the 1990s. If you are into this sound, here is a short list, in no particular order of Canadian bands from the same era: Sloan Superfriendz Thrush Hermit The inbreds Limblifter The Flashing Lights The Local Rabbits Tristan Psionic The New Grand Salmonblaster The Killjoys Eric's Trip Chixdiggit! The Hardship Post Rheostatics Zumpano Jale The Smugglers Smoother Cub hHead Pluto Huevos Rancheros

The Weezer power-pop aesthetic and cranked-up distortion is fun for a while. But it gets old fast, and the songs themselves aren't anything to write home about. Somewhere between a 2 and a 3.

Bubble gummy and fun. Not my style. Liked the dirty guitar on Girl From Mars for 5 seconds.

so fucking boring. I will say I liked the singers voice a lot but hoooly crap rock and roll can be so fucking stale man. is it so much to ask to write a catchy song??? something that fucking HITS you immediately and feels soulful and meaningful? Not everyone needs to make music and release it. I always say music nowadays is crap but the 90's had fucking duds too. once again, i didn't need to hear this before I die - nothing music. Rather would listen to some teenage fanclub - they do this kind of music perfectly. This will be forgotten by me in about 2 days. Don't remember a single melody.

I didn't know the band. A rather loud and excited music. Not a big fan. An OK album.

Almost gave this a 1 for its nothingburgerness but then track 9, Innocent Smile, breathed some life into the affair.

Joah. war recht gleichmäßig mies aber auch nicht schmerzhaft

No complaints, just not THAT remarkable.

I can see how you might like this if you grew up listening to it in high school or college, but I found it rather nondescript and boring. The vocalist really needed a voice coach. For most of the album it sounds like he's straining his voice.

Never heard of this before. Wasn't a bad album, but it did not hold my interest very long. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again

Probably the best band ever to come out of Down High School, Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK. I didn't like it.

Completely forgot this band existed. I remover hearing some of their stuff in the soundtrack for a game, I think grand tourismo, and liking it at the time. But now listening back it feels like music you’d only listen to if you didn’t have an older sibling/friend to tell you just to listen to dinosaur jr. first half is ok, but then it just goes on and on. Certainly has no business appearing on this list.

One of my brothers favourite albums growing up, The first 3 songs are straight up bangers. Yes blatant Dinosaur Jr and Pixies rip offs but I love both of those bands too so that’s ok. Unfortunately in the following 9 songs only ‘Kung Fu’ and ‘Oh Yeah’ reaches the same level of catchiness. Should have been an awesome 5 song EP instead of a 50 minute long slog of an album. Sorry Gazz

For 1996, this pop punk album doesn’t sound original or innovative. Maybe I’m misremembering, but there was music like this everywhere and it wouldn’t have stood out among the crowd. I don’t remember this band or album, and I certainly would have if it was on the charts in 1996. Guess they weren’t big in the US? Anyway, I’m not overly impressed by it. 2.5 stars

Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 2/5

ok

This has so many components of so many other bands and albums. It's an effective pastiche, but I don't know that there's anything there that sets it apart or stands on its own. I mean, I enjoyed it, but it mostly made me want to listen to the other bands it reminded me of.

pijita

Well, ok.

I guess this was fine?

Standard, energetic 90s pop punk and power pop. While the hooks are undeniable and the guitar tone has a nice fuzz to it, the songwriting stays strictly within very safe, predictable boundaries without offering much rhythmic or structural variety.

Not sure where this exists, very monospaced but flat footed. Need to listen again a 2/3 but edging towards a 2

This started out really promising and then descended into 'yeah, that sounds edgy enough and still will keep most of the target demographic happy'.

Girl From Mars is pretty cool, in a slightly rushed powerpop style, and Angel Interceptor is good, too. The rest of the songs are a bit lacking

I didn’t know this one. And that would’ve been fine. Uninteresting songs, uninterestingly sung. “Angel Interceptor” *might* be worth a repeat listen.

I think this just isn't my thing. Can't say there's anything wrong with it, just doesn't do much for me. I think my favorite moment was starting the album with a TIE fighter sound. I couldn't finish it.

Fun but generic 90s alt/grunge rock with a splash of Britpop for good measure. Less Oasis than Oasis, and somehow also less Blur than Blur. There was nothing unique, important, or interesting enough about the music that warrants inclusion on the list. 2.5⭐️

Run-of-the-mill 90’s alt rock. 2.5

4/10… alternative rock / 90er indie / *1996

generic 90s music

Not my thing…not a fan of this sound..screechy and annoying

Had me at the TIE fighter sound, lost me by th second sound.

Quite o.k. but it did not click for me. Unimpressive vocals plus pretty generic 90s rock.

Early 90’s Irish grunge

Paar leuke nummers, verder heel erg saai

Not really my cup of tea. A couple decent songs but overall pretty bang average

This was exceptionally boring, and I grew up in this era, so I have a soft spot for the grunge / britpop sound - but this felt very derivative, more pop than anything else, and without much in the way of memorable .... anything....

one of those 'leaves me cold' bands

𝟣𝟫𝟩𝟩 is an enjoyable Britpop record with plenty of energy and catchy moments. The songs are straightforward, melodic, and easy to like, giving the album a light and accessible feel. Still, it doesn’t offer much that sets it apart from other Britpop releases of the time. While it’s pleasant to listen to, it ultimately feels a bit generic and lacks a stronger identity. Nice in the moment, but not something that sticks.

como suele pasar con muchos de los albumes del challenge: un par de bangers y el resto un embole. En este caso bastante punk rock and roll, no me parecio memorable 4/10

I liked the first song, because it was more intense, but afterwards it became kinda generic. It wasn't bad, but I got bored after that first track.

From the Vault #6 (March 5, 2026) I've never heard of this album or artist before, but I've marked it as an album over one hour in length, so we're ripping off the band-aid early. There's nothing this can be other than a grunge album, right? This album cover has that exact aesthetic going for it. Either grunge or some edgy, poppy, metal-adjacent genre that was popular with dirtbag teens in the 90s. Let's get into it. Britpop, power pop, garage rock, pop rock and pop punk. All genres I never would have successfully predicted if my life depended on it. This is fucking bleak. I've had this album on for half an hour now and I haven't been able to get past the first five tracks. I space out so heavily and so regularly to these tunes that two or three of them are able to pass by without me noticing, which causes my charitability impulse to kick in and skip back to where I initially spaced out, perpetuating the cycle of disinterest once more. This music is just so washed out and empty. The vocals frustrate me the most with how lackluster they are. They sound oddly restrained, which is the worst thing a vocal performance can be in my eyes - way worse than just being straight-up bad. The music doesn't impress me much, either. The songs have a very generic power pop guitar growl guiding the lead melody, which I don't find to be all that engaging - especially with how stretched thin it is across an hour runtime. The uninspired power pop sound is occasionally interrupted with a bit of Britpop flavouring - particularly the string sections, spiraling guitars and mild washed-out sound which hangs over the piece. While power pop has worked for me before, Britpop has never. Overall, a tragic listen which left me phenomenally bored out of my mind. Book time. Named after the year the artists were born, which I suppose makes them 19 when this album released. "Surely one of the finest debuts of the 1990s, 1977 magically mingled the recklessness and raucousness of youthful abandon..." An individualistic album that rides the trends of the time while injecting its own flavour into the mix, notably power pop. Had a successful single on the UK charts. "...defined the musical experience of a micro-generation of youth." Wikipedia says this album was well-received by critics, topped the UK charts and was the 31st best-selling album of the year in the country. It had some decent chart success in a few other Western and European countries, too. Nah, fuck this album. Bye byeeeeeeeeeeeee. In place of this album, I humbly submit Homogenic by Bjorke for inclusion on the list. Another album I haven't listened to, but I know it's commonly heralded as her best. I pulled Medulla from the list in my yet-to-be-released review of that album, but I figured she still deserved four list albums, so I'm once again being charitable here. ================== I think I was a little mean to this album. In its defence, this is the exact kind of music I and many others would think of making as teens if we were musically inclined. High energy, zany rock tunes about picking up Martian broads with the exact same, wafer-thin songwriting and instrumentals repeated guiding each track. I'm still not really into this, but I suppose I have more respect for it now. I'm bumping this album to 2 stars.

I've never heard of these guys. They're from the UK(of course) and this came out in 1996, which means it's highly likely to be crappy Britpop. It is...kind of. "Lose Control" is what people who don't listen to heavy metal think heavy metal sounds like. The rest is loud alternative rock with radio-ready hooks. It's part Britpop, part dream pop, all radio rock. The vocals are almost inaudible under the distortion, which doesn't really hurt the album too much as they sound rather generic for the era. The album's lyrics are bog-standard love lyrics, which fits its poppy nature. Most damning of all, it's very obscure and therefore inessential to the time period's music. This is not a list of OK albums that aren't noteworthy. It's a list of albums that are essential listening, and this isn't essential listening. It doesn't belong here, especially when actually essential albums like the Blue Album are missing completely.

Very boring unremarkable 90s soft rock

The only part I really enjoyed was the last minute of Innocent Smile. Everything else felt far too bland. Oh Yeah was painful

Not a hard rock fan

Ash 1977 I wish the vocals were stronger they soundpretty pitchy throughout. Didn’t like this . Goldfinger had some cool grungey harmony. Least favorite was kung fu. Got pretty tired of it by Let it Flow. Not sure why it’s on the list 2

This was super boring i dont know what there is to like or care about in this

I am SHOCKED that the guitarist and the vocalist are the same person. It sounds like the guitarist is fighting to save the song and the vocalist is purposefully tanking it

De flesta 15 sekunderna kände jag,"ja, kanske,". Sen resten av skivan ville jag bara att den skulle ta slut. Så otroligt tråkig rock. Nästa tack.

Liked them better when they were called Oasis.

Let's see. In '77, the Ramones released their second studio album w/ Leave Home & the Sex Pistols debuted Never Mind the Bollocks, Bowie could do no wrong w/ 'Heroes' & Fleetwood Mac peaked w/ Rumours. A very good year in music, in other words. Rumour has it that Ash's first record refers to the year that Episode IV of the Star Wars trilogy came out, but it's Ash's fault if we're inclined to look back to the albums of that year & compare. It turns out 1977 doesn't compete w/ '77: these tracks are only catchy, which means they don't stay catchy for long, & there's no sound here that Oasis hadn't already developed/perfected on Definitely Maybe & Morning Glory. Unlike Oasis, who's catchy for days, Ash has 'bout a min of catchy half-life.

There were a lot of bands I like in High School, like Seawed, the Posies and Gas Huffer. I might even enjoy them today, if I revisited them. But that doesn't mean they should be on a list of this list. Too bad the guy who made it doesn't understand that.

Pick a genre. Some of the arrangements lean to arena rock, and then the vocals are grungy punk. And the vocals I did not care for.

Started off pretty strong until the vocals came in, and then I was out.

2.5

Generic mid-to-late 90s Alt Rock 🫤

Another album where I question its inclusion because I’m not sure what novel or particularly interesting aspect it is meant to be demonstrating that isn’t covered by other albums. It’s fine and instrumentally it’s not bad, but I could have reviewed this on the first song and it would have applied for the rest of the album. Middle of the road and the best riff of the album is taken from N.I.B. (once you hear it, it cannot be unheard). On a good day and on the strength of a couple of tracks maybe a 3 but 50 minutes of the same drags it down to a 2.

I found this quite a stressful listen. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood, but the simple repetitive riffs and pop-gunge vocals were really grating and by the end of the 50 minutes, my ears were begging for some respite. Maybe there is more to this once you scratch beneath the surface, but unfortunately that surface was so abrasive that it was scratching me. I vaguely remember "Oh Yeah" from back in the day, but I didn't think that this aged well at all. At it best, it sounds like a poor man's early Radiohead. Too long, too noisy, too basic. Like many of it's contemporaries, an album probably best left back in 1996.

Killer singles and some bright moments but too much unmemorable filler

This album got off to a really strong start on the first few tracks, it wasn't bringing anything particularly new to the table, but it had a great distorted sound and really enjoyable riffs, but as it went on it really failed to impress beyond there. By the last couple of songs I was really just waiting for it to end, unfortunately. I particularly got a bit tired of the lead vocalist's delivery, and the mixing on a lot of the tracks. I know there is an appeal to the "garage" sound, there are a number of garage rock records that I go back to regularly, but it felt like a real detriment on a number of songs here. On one track they introduce this great string section, but it's so deep in the mix it's almost impossible to actually appreciate it. Unfortunately not one I'll go back to, but I can definitely understand if someone were to really enjoy it. Fav Track: 1 - Lose Control Best Three Track Run: 1, 2, 3

4/10 Best songs: Innocent Smile Very typical rock for this time period. Sometimes the vocals are not the most pleasing to the ear, and by the end it gets dull. I feel as if the reason this album was included on the list is because Ash is a Northern Irish band releasing music during the Troubles. Which - don't get me wrong - is interesting, but that seems like a pretty weak reason to include the album on this list, particularly since they don't even sing about anything political.

So so so boring?

Eh, sounds like everything else pop punky.

Sounds like every other grunge pop album released in 1996. It’s not bad, the band seems solid. Nothing about 1977 stands out.

The 90s were filled with a ton of bands doing new and interesting things. Why we needed a vanilla version of that is beyond me. Seems like Robert just sticks every random band from the UK on this list. Album had a few decent songs but too many unremarkable songs on here.

Unremarkable.

Could probably use a few more listens- Kinda sounds like an uninspired Oasis

not terrible. i liked the actual music but i hate the singer and the lyrics unfortunately…. just doesn’t really match the like rock instrumentals they got going on.

Another artist I’ve never heard of! Too Loud™️

Only knew one song from them beforehand and didn’t really like it, the first song is off to a much heavier start !! Woah, Mr. Miyagi mentioned, I just watched The Karate Kid !! Not my kind of music tbh, idk. Fav song is ‘Girl From Mars’.

It's too indie for me. At the beginning of the album I thought I could still tolerate this, but the later tracks just somehow blend into each other in a bad way. I'm sure there are many people who like Ash, but it's not for me.

Extremely beige version of alt rock, not all that well performed but passable

Heard some of these tracks before... Reminded me of listening to events hosted at schools, not good.

Only listened to first half, but somehow the vocals are too quiet and music a bit to muddy for me to love it

#262/1001. Mid 90s grunge-meets-pop punk brit pop. It sounds like they took influence of much more experimental acts at the time and melted it down to some kind of chartable, critic-friendly mediocrity. Youthful energy definitely, but for me not much more. File under: you don't have to hear this before you die.

Gear: SIMGOT EA1000 Fermat Artwork: 🏙️🪞🌃 Production: 🥩😣👎 Music: 🎸📼🤷‍♂️ Rating: 🪰🪰/5

Jobbig röst och banala texter. Enstaka instrumentala partier var bra, men helheten var verkligen inte i min smak. Svag 2a.

Spretigt! Det låter verkligen som att de tagit massa inpiration från saker jag gillar, kört det i en mixer och sett vad som kom ut. Ibland blir det ganska kul, ibland väldigt platt, men det är väl lätt hönt när man helt plötsligt blivit signad som tonåring. Tyckte ändå att det tog sig lite mot slutet när de flippade mer. Den med stark mage kan lyssna på bonusspåret ”Sick Party” lol.

This is quite mediocre indie rock album that has all the genre cliches and songs that are like pastiches of the generic indie. Songs like Girl from Mars or Kung fu are nice pop songs, but there’s really nothing on this album that would make Ash sound something more than just another 2nd level indie band

Mediocre radio rock from 90s. That's what it is.

Generic, boring, bad vocals, worse lyrics, somehow worse delivery. And yet, not interesting enough to be truly terrible.

empezó muy bien, después me aburrió un poco

It's fine so far, kinda boring. Maybe I would enjoy it more at the time. Bit like Manic Street Preachers but not as good

5/10

This one is like "driving" on a film set. The car bobs up and down. It's in constant motion and occasionally feels like it's turning a corner or accelerating. But, really, it's just rolling along in place.

...no no no, it's not bad at all. I'm just saying maybe next time stop the list at 1000...

Definition of Meh. No idea why this is here over other far more prominent 90s artists.

boring

gods dream of breathing beings

Not feeling it. It sounds like a generic alt rock album from the mid to late 90s. Not a big fan, couldn't finish it.

Fand ich wenig spektakulär.

2.08

just ok.

Honestly never heard these guys before. I always hated the way the albums looked so much I never listened. It’s pretty bad but there are a few catchy moments

Every song sounds the same to me. Bah

Not bad. They were definitely above average for the rock bands on this last, although still didn't really perk up and start listening carefully.

Not necessarily 'bad', first three songs are actually very enjoyable. Unfortunately, at times this feels a bit too derivative, which really turns the enjoyment into annoyance.

Solid but nothing to write home about.

Nothing stood out, nothing memorable.

Sounds like 1000 other bands from this era.2.5

I am very fond of 1977. Or perhaps I am fond of my memories of it. Excluding novelty records and television tie-in seven-inches, Oh Yeah was the first single I bought with my own money. Its B-side was a cover of ABBA’s Does Your Mother Know? - a detail that mattered, as it happened, because Paul would shortly be ejected from our first band for suggesting we cover SOS. Ash, only a few years older than us when they recorded the album, were untroubled by such questions of cool, and it served them well. This was punk pop that was unabashedly slight and spry - part Nirvana in texture, part Buzzcocks in form, and yes, a little ABBA - not much, but enough. It was a more joyous and immediately enjoyable debut than The Clash, which we had listened to a few weeks earlier. More importantly, it was made by young teenagers. Almost peers. They were from Downpatrick. My ma knew Tim Wheeler’s ma a bit from her time stationed in Kilkeel. It is possible that memory clouds my judgement, but not entirely. Certainly Oh Yeah - a song about teenage yearning for love and romance, and perhaps something more - spoke more directly to me, at that point, than the oblique misery of much of Kurt Cobain’s writing. The same is true of Goldfinger. Even Girl from Mars articulates a naive but common othering of the opposite sex. None of this is sophisticated, but it is - was - recognisable. These songs did not gesture towards grand emotional abstraction; they described feelings you might plausibly be having that week. The problem is that Tim Wheeler never moved beyond this phase. His voice did not change, and his writing did not either. He never learned to articulate ideas or emotions beyond these simple adolescent scenarios. Even on 1977, he is already looking backwards rather than forwards. The songs are about the start of the summer after it has ended, about romances already lost. The nostalgia is built in from the beginning, and it leaves him nowhere to go. This is there in the title itself - 1977, the year most of the band were born. This backward gaze is so prevalent in Northern Irish pop music as to be almost integral to it. On Astral Weeks, Van Morrison - only twenty-two - sings of being ‘conquered in a car seat’, already mythologising the teenage girls he used to know. Neil Hannon was around the same age when he wrote Summerhouse, fondly recalling the summers when he was ten or eleven. The Undertones became grown men obliged to sing Teenage Kicks every night. The same idealisation of childhood and adolescence underpins the novels of Forrest Reid, the writer who defined the early Northern Irish novel. There is a shared assumption that things were better before - that adolescence represented an Eden prior to the fall of adulthood. In the context of twentieth-century Northern Ireland, this makes sense. Childhood was shaped by theology and routine, while adulthood unfolded in a violent, sectarian world from which children were partially shielded. Nostalgia is not simply indulgence here; it is a means of preservation. Of course, the teenage years are central to pop music everywhere. It is hard to love music as intensely at any other point in life, or to bind it so completely to identity. Most musicians who are going to exist as pop artists begin then, when they have the time, energy and obsession the form demands. Many struggle later, not because adulthood is uninteresting, but because pop’s vocabulary is limited and poorly suited to the banal complexity of grown life. What marks Ash out is not youthfulness alone, but arrested development. Wheeler and the band had their greatest success too early, without any need to refine an artistic voice beyond Star Wars references and kung fu films. When the time came to develop one, there was no space left. Touring, television appearances and magazine shoots replaced the long periods of isolation in which artists usually fail, reflect and improve. In this sense, Wheeler resembles Rivers Cuomo or Billy Corgan more than his Britpop contemporaries - a pubescent shredder who became a songwriter. Few of his peers, James Dean Bradfield aside, played guitar solos like that. The difference is that Cuomo and Corgan endured years of rejection and uncertainty in which to clarify what they were trying to say. Wheeler succeeded immediately, and success fixed him in place. Yet it is that same stasis that allows me to enjoy 1977 now, almost uncritically. The nostalgia was there from the beginning; it is not something I have imposed on the record with age. The album was already looking backwards, already embalming adolescence, already offering the teenage years as something complete and closed. How could I give that up now? To reject it would be to reject the version of myself that first heard it, and the small, protected world it seemed to describe. If 1977 left Tim Wheeler nowhere to go, it has given me somewhere permanent to return to. 3 Ash suck. They were very young when they made this of course and its best moments savour of Naive Art. Tim Wheeler would go on to prove, however, that it wasn’t just youth and inexperience; he is a born rubbish singer, songwriter, and guitarist. This was his peak. 1.5/5

2.0 Sounded like they tried to rip off every rock band that ever existed, all in one album

There are so many awful singers on this list it really makes me feel even I could make it into the next 1001.

This album is infuriates me, not because it is bad. If it were bad I could've filed it as not my thing, and moved on with my life. Instead it gave me opinions. It opens with the star Wars X-wing scream and then a genuinely amazing riff making me all excited. Imagine then my disappointment when the vocalist kicks in who somehow retroactively pulls all energy and power from the music with the voice of what feels like a wet rag. Leaving behind something that feels like it was purely written for some 90s/00s coming of age movie about a teenage boy finding out how cool skating is. It is punk with its teeth filed off. It is even more frustrating because the guitar riffs on this album are still actually pretty good at times. Especially on Lose Control and I'd give you anything (which makes sense as it is straight up a Black Sabbath riff) there are some great fucking riffs. But then the standard post-punk go happy junk starts playing over it making you wish for what it could've been. But again, it happens too often to make me be able to just I don't like it and move on without thinking about it. 4/10

tråkigt

More generic mid 90s euro-shite

One Direction of its time. Ugh

..

Might have enjoyed this in 1994, but I don’t remember hearing it. Sounds dated now.

Another unknown band for me. It's rock, but it's boring. Nothing catchy, real catchy, nothing memorable or special. Mediocre. Liked only two songs and one of them (Lost in You) because it has the same vibes as “Always on My Mind” whatever version: Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson or someone else. 2/5

Boring.

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.

When the album is mid, uninspired, boring and trite 🔥🔥🔥

Already forgot I listened to this.

Forgettable, but not musically terrible.

Goldfinger Girl from Mars Kung Fu Oh Yeah Angel Interceptor

Combien d'albums indie mid reste-t-il dans cette liste?

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.

Too generic

I didn't really have any comments. It was background music and it seemed over fast.

Good tunes. Nothing remarkable though. 2 outta 5

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.

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

Influenced by a lot of music from 10 years or more before, added nothing to it

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.

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.

Sleepy voice and punk rhythm, nothing strikes me.

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.

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.

Meh didn't finish.

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

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

No los conocía y me recuerdan a Weezer, no me ha disgustado el disco, pero tampoco me ha dicho gran cosa.

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.

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.

a very average 90’s album, didn’t love it didn’t hate it

Meh, it's not really doing anything for me. This is like a bunch of stereotypes of 90s rock

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.

Meh. Very mid 1990's alternarock.

NOt great.

★⅘

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.

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

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.

i was bored by this music

His vocals really start to annoy me. Like he is pinching every last drop of pitch out of his throat. To high and forced

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.

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.

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.

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.

this is so whiny, even taking into consideration this came out in the mid 90s.

butrock

Kinda hear Nirvana in it but something I wouldn’t revisit

Boring

Boring

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

- 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.

Not even close to a must listen. So many better options from this era/genre.

not my style

Another one that I struggle to deem list worthy.

Ehhh....overrated.

Bored by this

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.

Powerful memories of MTV2. I didn’t realise Ash were around as early as that. Bit bland.

Pass.

NPC album, nothing about it stands out

Surprised I had never heard this album before. After listening it just fell flat and nothing made me hit repeat.

I enjoyed this listen. But nothing stood out to me. Perfectly fine

Nope, not for me, not a fan

Girl from Mars was very good, I'd listen to that again. A few other alright tunes, and plenty of boring ones.

Not sure exactly why, but I really wasn't impressed by this one. It just seemed... sterile? Generic? Uninspired? Like it was made to be played on radio without much more creativity/thought beyond that. Which, to me, meant that while it was not bad, per se, it was not good either. Just middle-of-the-road in every way. I don't think I'll remember a single song off of this album tomorrow. Overall: 2/5

Only got through half of it, pretty mid

I read this described as "the sweet spot between Nirvana and the Jonas Brothers" and haven't stopped laughing yet. Star Wars isn't good and you shouldn't use it as an album opener, even if you're 17. That being said, I don't know many 17 year olds that could copy better bands so convincingly. Not at all essential listening.

Not bad, a bit generic and didn't speak to me.

Pulled this up in the evening. Not my cup of tea.

Irrelevant.

Weezer at home

Empty-calorie mid-90s schlock rock unbefitting of a far superior music decade's association.

ash. flat and a bit noisy sounding.

Middling garage rock/pop punk. The list must have been sponsored by the BBC. It has the requisite number of UK acts whether they deserve to be there or not. If you are going to include pop punk from the 1990s on this list those bands should unequivocally be Weezer, Blink 182, or Jimmy Eat World. Personally my favorite was The Dragonflies (not the one on most streaming services). I found this album unremarkable in every way.

Boy, this one sure is from the 90's. It has all the hallmark elements of that period, which aren't really a bad thing- they just maybe haven't aged as well as some other styles. This album is fine, but I found it mostly unremarkable.

Not for me

Forgettable alternative rock

Very 90s, not very notable

Almost positive the opening sound effect on this album is a Star Wars tie fighter. Could that be related to the album title? The year Star Wars came out?? Is there a lot of substance to this album? Not really, honestly. But I need to check myself, because I feel like the me of 8-10 years ago would’ve been more into this one. Lots of angst and raw energy, lots of songs about girls and the highs and lows of being young. My highlight on here is easily “Kung Fu”, as it’s the most pure fun on the record. Still, I am left questioning if this deserves a spot on a list of 1001 albums you need to listen to.

Pretty standard 90s indy-pop...not sure why a spot on the list. Maybe cause they are Irish? Started out on fire but quickly lost it's flame and by the end was reduced to ashes. Songs droned on and I got bored. Mediocre with no real lasting impression. This one will be forgotten....1.65.

Meh

I started out excited. This seemed like it was gonna be a 90s British, grungy, combination. My excitement faded when I started feeling like the songs got really repetitive. I think it's the same riffs over and over and over and over. Yea, it's pretty cool, but I don't think I'd be excited for another ash album.

Typical Britpop stuff which was all over the place in the mid 90’s. All were mostly Oasis or Blur wannabes. Won’t be unkind to label Ash as that. They are still about and making music but I don’t think this album is remarkable in any way and made no impression on me at all. 2/5 3/3/25

Not bad. Not good.

It's fine. I could imagine myself listening to a couple tracks off this maybe in early college thinking I had found an obscure band and convincing people to like it, but in the end...it's just fine.

It's...fine. 90's alt rock. Some decent hooks and riffs, and I can see why this got some airplay. But it's pretty samey and not overly interesting. I mean, if this is what you're in the mood for, you're better off throwing on some Arctic Monkeys than this.

mais do mesmo 2 estrelas

Standard rock album. Didn't sound special

It came out of the gate swinging and I was like "Finally! A good British Rock band" ... and then just like every thing else British whether empires or dental care, they just couldn't keep up with it

Not for me

In 1996, the Alternative Rock bubble was just about at its breaking point. Cobain had been dead for a minute, Pearl Jam was busy fighting TicketMaster, and R.E.M. had lost their College Radio religion and gone mainstream. There were, however, many Alt-Rock albums like this one released in 1996 that were better and more notable than Ash's "1977". This includes releases by: Failure, Weezer, Afghan Whigs, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Cracker, The Refreshments, I Mother Earth, Sloan, Guided By Voices, Eels, Screaming Trees, Sleater-Kinney, Cake, Heatmiser, Superdrag, Jawbox, Sebadoh, Luscious Jackson, Cibo Matto, Bob Mould, Imperial Teen, Butter 08, Sponge, Nada Surf, Butthole Surfers, Tracy Bonham, Poe, Stone Temple Pilots, Lemonheads, and The Presidents of the United States of America...just to name a few.

This does nothing for me.

The longer this album went on, the lower my estimation of the singer's ability went

I feel like we have had a lot of bland albums lately and this was one of them. The start of "Lose Control" had a really good intro but it fizzled out during the rest of the song. All of it sounded very 90s, like a mix of Neutral Milk Hotel, Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins. No songs really stood out to me. 2 stars.

medium rock music. found myself wishing I was listening to msp…..some catchy hooks and melodies and fun tunes, but nothing especially good to me

Jäi muiden aikalaistensa varjoon. 2/5

Tylsänpuoleinen poprock-levy.

Alright. Not the best but can see it

"Kung fu" gave me nostalgia vibes from watching "Rumble in the Bronx", but the rest of the album is derivative nonsense. Even "Kung fu" is a pretty stupid song, but catchy. 1001 albums generator occasionally poops out one of these UK albums that never went further than the Isles and I gamely suffer through them.

I didn’t think I knew this band but Kung Fu stood out as familiar. It’s kinda fun, but clearly not memorable enough for me to have figured out the band’s name. Some of the rest of this reminds me of Neil Gust’s contributions to Heatmiser. By which I mean underwhelming. And their press photo on Apple Music is cringe. They sound kind of adjacent to the 90s indie music that I’m into on some tracks, while the rest just sounds like generic 90s pop rock. They just don’t do it for me. Another one hit wonder from the UK that somehow managed to get an entire album on the list.

Lost in you struck a chord with me, otherwise this was largely boring and middle of the pack for 90s indie rock

Bored

90s alt pop. Forgot they existed tbh.

this finished and I felt like I was still waiting on it to properly get going. some good bits in there that I was hoping they'd push on from but they never did - too radio friendly for me

Incredibly mid alternative album. I was on the verge of giving this a 1 because of how boring it was

Middle of the road third generation grunge band. There are better contemporaries than this band, and I wouldn't put them on an essential list.

Pretty much run of the mill 90s alternative with subpar vocals. Until Innocent Smile where they used some vocal distortion, which helped, and the end of the song devolved into Sonic Youth-ish noisy noise…in a good way. I liked the album about a star better from this point on, but the vocals still weren’t a plus.

Another one of these influential must-hear bands you’ve never heard of and which sound like a compilation of sux other bands. It was listenable but a bit tedious after a while.

I didnt like this one. it was a bit boring and a bit of a loop

Ash? More like trash.

Not my vibe.

it was okay?? very average??? a bit boring Girl from Mars was the highlight

There were some really good moments but ultimately, it’s not my jam. 2

I was impressed by the aggressive start to the album and then that started to fade away as the album went on. Doesn't differentiate itself too much from other 90s rock. It's fine when it's on. 2.5/5 if I could give half stars.

Didn’t come together for me.

There were like two good songs. They mostly all sounded the same and the vocal mixing is awful.

When a bunch of kids out of Northern Ireland made records (but they did it in the seventies and they were older than you) - like The Undertones - it felt proper. When this other lot born in 1977 came along and did it in the nineties then I couldn't take it seriosly. There are a couple of ok singles but nothing special.

Hade blivit bottenbetyg om inte Oh Yeah varit med på plattan.

I like the music, but this is not an album I needed to hear

okish sound aber boring

Listened to it while I was working. Couldn't remember much about it when it was over.

Started great, dropped of real fast. Why is this on this list?

Noget af det lød meget godt men det meste lød bare som Oasis

Ret catchy og jeg er glad for at produktionen var til den støjende side, men jeg synes det blev ret ensformigt i længden

Starts off with the sound of a TIE Fighter, which is perhaps a fitting metaphor for this album: starts off fast, strong and sounds cool. Finishes off by crashing and burning in a big fucking mess.

first track: can you imagine hearing Nirvana and Sonic Youth in the 90s and thinking 'what this needs is some wah solos in the big choruses' the rest: Some that's got more in common with the shitty Coldplay era than its own alternative rock era, some that's grinding through uninspired alt rock. Sounds like it doesn't believe in itself and needs to lean on pop hit tropes. Sounds like it would be a lot less fun to make than something with less desire for success, and then it doesn't even get there, and that's very sad. ★ ★ alternate album review in place of mush: Red Red Meat - Bunny Gets Paid (1995) Turns out it's real cool to slow power chords way down and use acoustic guitar just for more thunk. Solid enough formula to make satisfying music again and again, a couple bands worth for Tim Rutili at least. An album might be more than you need to hear at any one time, but it's nice to have that many variations - listen to shuffled playlists, like the good lord intended. Gauze might be the least Calfone-like in instrumentation and the highlight for me. ★ ★ ★ ★

Nowhere near the worst thing I’ve listened to on here, but maybe the least essential. Not unpleasant, but bland. And when I get to the end of this thing, I’m going to think of all the 90s rock bands I like that aren’t on the list, and then I will remember this one.

even as a known enjoyer of mediocre british guitar bands from the 1990s, i can wholeheartedly say that this sucked. you do NOT need to listen to this album before you die.

this was pretty boring to me. it wasn't technically bad I guess...it just felt like a pastiche of other bands that do it better and this didn't really bring anything interesting or new to it.

The instrumentals were fine - great, even! - but the lead vocalist cannot sing on-key, which didn't make this fun to listen to.

Yeah it's fine, 2.5?

Not awful

I thought it was awful: too loud, too discordant, too much noise. Tim liked it.