Reviews (page 4 of 8)
But what Style is it??????? I think there is a reason most albums/artists stick to one genre and that is to hone their craft in that area so it comes out great. While I somewhat enjoyed the variety in my fly by through every genre on planet earth today, it was too much of a gear change with no cohesive voice or vibe, and let's face it, others are gonna do it better if you're just having a dabble.
Ok
Not bad started a bit slow but picked up at the end
Not really my type of music, the kind of droning you’d expect to hear at a hotel restaurant, or in a film with one. Odd song titles as well and then completely different song styles later in the album. Overall, not a terrible listen, but not one I’ll seek out again.
Okay but a bit boring, 2.5/5
Disjointed
I started out really enjoying this as the first half is a mix of chilled out jazzy 80s pop rock. Then they jump into a pretty rough “rap” track and some more cliche goofy 80s pop sounds, finally picking back up on the last few tracks. Overall an interesting listen but sort of squandered some of its potential.
For a while, I couldn’t decide if I liked this or not. But I’ve decided I do.
The Style Council’s Café Bleu is a fun listen in places, but it’s all over the map. One moment it’s silky soul and jazz, the next it’s half-baked new wave. The result is a mix of brilliance and mediocrity that never quite settles into a groove. I can understand why it made the “1001 Albums” list—I don’t regret giving it a spin—but I wish the band had picked a lane and stayed there. Best tracks: “Me Ship Came In!,” “Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse” Worst tracks: “A Gospel,” “Strength of Your Nature”
These guys just slapped a bunch of genres into a hat and then pulled them out randomly. Most of the songs are just fine, but a few.... Like the Fresh Prince inspired A Gospel are just hot garbage.
не зашло, сори..
Well this was a suprise. I love Weller but this sounded nothing like what i expected. I barely recognised his voice and the 80's soul vibe was very odd. When i got past the suprise, i found i didnt really like this. The songwriting quality was still there and this is shown by a couple of these songs sounding fabulous on his later orchestral album.
Interesting but in a forgettable way? Props for giving rapping a shot, random 1980s British band.
Far more likeable than I had anticipated. Smooth but not super irritating with it.
Sympa mais pas coup de coeur
Here’s another one of those English bands that I never heard of until now. This is their debut album, and there is a wide spectrum of music on it, including, pop, smooth jazz, rock, and rap. It appears that they were trying to prove that they could handle all these genres. Overall it’s pretty good for a debut.
This is so unfamiliar to me I would have assumed the band is called Café Bleu, not the album (probably because I'd be mixing them up with Café Tacuba). But it seems esoteric, so they have my attention. And the genre is listed as "Sophisti-pop". Amazing, that's a new one to add to my genre lexicon. The sapiosexual of genres? The sound is some nice instrumental jazzy stuff (which I like), but also some sleepy singing (which is fine but uncaptivating). Certainly a step above Norah Jones, but too mellow for me to really love it. There's a mid-album interlude that veers more energetic (and political), but not enough to save this from the 'it was fine' 3s. Highlights: 'My Ever Changing Moods' (this one has a little vim to it!), 'Strength of Your Nature' (this too!), & the song titles overall, particularly 'The Whole Point of No Return' & 'Me Ship Came In!' (exclamation point included)
Unusual blend of musak-y jazzy ballads, poppy instrumental jazz pieces, and then suddenly appear a couple hip hop/very 80s pop tracks. Kinda amateurish-sounding to my ears, but also fairly enjoyable.
Cool but strange album that is so eclectic it sounds like different bands or songs from different albums. Mostly jazzy but some mid 80s pop as well.
Gotta be in the mood for this. I should probably give this a 4 but I’m a hater.
Alguna canción de jazz alegre que es perfecto para poner de ambiente en una soirée o cena, pero no creo que escucharía normalmente salvo esas ocasiones. Mezcla muchísimos estilos, desde instrumental a canciones con letra e incluso rap. Algunas canciones las escucharía de noche mientras cocino. No me ha desagradado para nada, pero no es lo que suelo escuchar
Like the variation. Need a proper listen though
Cool and smooth
Brother, he kinda went everywhere, didn’t he?
Ok. Average.
I did not think I would hear jazz and hip-hop on the same album. This piece of work was odd but enjoyable -- although there was consistency in the funky groove, I found myself wishing we got more of the jazzy elements. I could have done without 'A Gospel' and the second-to-last two tracks, I think. "My Ever Changing Moods' felt so Stevie Wonder inspired!
Nice. Hadn't heard.
Meh
A totally fine modernish jazz album. 2.5/5 - > 3/5
Jeg er fan! Første del var god, anden del måske lidt for funky? Den får ihvertfald tre, selvom den havde potentielle til fire.
2.5
Definitely the tale of two sides. I actually really liked the soft sophistopop jazz leanings of the first side. I especially liked the US hit, and the title track of the US version of this album, "My Ever Changing Moods". The second side however was more of a mixed bag. It starts off totally on the wrong foot with the absolute worst songs of the album. There's a better pop Fair as the rest of the side moves along. And ends pretty well with "Headstart for Happiness", and the jaunty instrumental "Council Meeting" i do kind of wish the additional US track was on there "A Solid Bond in Your Heart" (a UK non album single) which would not only be a side to highlight if it were there, but probably be the second best track on the album after "Moods" If the album had stayed in the vein of side one I probably would have gone with a solid four, but I think the second side really doesn't do as much for me to keep it at that high of a rating 7.6 ★★★½
Opens with a tv theme song. Whole point is cool. Ship is some more good instrumental. Paris match is fine; I'm waiting for something to drop, like why is this rated so low? It's not great, but it's not a 1 so far. Moods is another fine song. Bombs is more okay Jazz. The rapping on Gospel is not good but it's not any worse than anything else. There's plenty of rap from that time that he's obviously emulating. Strength of your nature is borderline good but way too long. You're the best thing is a good song. The rest is all fine. Yea, three feels way too high. But 2 is too low. Just know this is the absolute lowest three I can give. Like, Vol 4 is now effectively 3.99999 and this is 3.000000001.
Love the jazzy, hip hoppy, folk rock diversity of this album. Me Ship Came In was super playful jazz. Heres One That Got Away was the cherry on top of solid album of various genres (no song credit for the fiddle player).
I got through the whole album before realizing this was recorded in 1984. For the time, the eclecticism on this album was pretty much unheard of. It's quite impressive. That being said, the collection of songs doesn't make sense as a whole. The quality of individual tracks is generally pretty high, but there's a decided lack of cohesion across the whole album. On the strength of the majority of the individual songs, it would be 4 stars, but the overall lack of cohesion and somewhat jarring sequencing of tracks would be 2 stars. I'd give this 3.45 stars overall, but rounding down to 3 for this site. 3 stars
I thought this was fine. I love The Jam as well as some of the supplemental artists on this album. But nothing here really gripped me the way that other music by these very same people does. Nice piece of pop culture, but I don’t see myself coming back to this.
Love The Jam, love Paul Weller, never really got into The Style Council. Still, it’s good. 3.5 stars.
Cool start weird ending.
6.3/10 not really vibing with it but it's a good ambum, just not my taste. actually it's pretty cool, lil wrap thing going on too but i wound't put the album on again
Das war eindeutig besser, als ich erwartet habe. Ziemlich abwechslungsreich, gab ein paar Überraschungen. 2 1/2 aber ich runde mal auf.
Some bluesie and trumpet samples. Solid but too artsy for me
hey! this was fun
dobar pocetak serijala, dosta pjesama samo instrumental, od ovih sa tekstom tekst je dosta jednostavan, razumljiv (+). dobar album, fun vibe
toks man rodos jazz cia bet nezinauu quite like it tik kad nervuoja kad nerazodziu dainoj viena daina praskipinau nes uzpiso
Very fun and enjoyable first half, and then you get to a gospel where a white guy in the late 80s starts rapping poorly. From this point onwards the album tries a lot of different things, but to me never really reaches the highs of the first half
Ok
Pretty eclectic. The instrumental songs don’t do a ton for me but those with lyrics are definitely a bit better. Nonetheless I’m not sure if counseling the Brits on style is the wisest choice… 5/10
This was all over the place. Really liked some songs, others were crap
well crafted ans pleasant, if not my cup of tea
I feel like I'm losing my goddamn mind. 2 weeks ago, I didn't even know that "sophisti-pop" was a thing. I'd never heard of the term. But for some reason, this album project website decided that it would be the funniest thing ever if I got THREE albums from prominent sophisti-pop bands in the span of just 10 days. What the fuck? Prefab Sprout, Everything but the Girl, and now the Style Council! Why? To be fair, I have 2 points to make. Point 1 is that the ETBG album in question, Walking Wounded, was later in their career and not very sophisti-pop-esque, so I can't exactly say that all 3 albums sounded the same. The second point is that all 3 albums I've gotten have been varying degrees of good. However, Café Bleu is the worst of the three. Sound-wise, this album's not bad at all. It does remind me of Prefab Sprout quite a bit, and I liked that album so that's okay. This is definitely an 80s album alright. The vocals and writing aren't bad. Paul Weller seems like a talented guy. Maybe I'll enjoy the other 3 albums on the list that he's prominently featured in more. The songs are the most interesting thing here. Café Bleu's best songs are very good. "My Ever Changing Moods" and "You're the Best Thing" are stellar. I love the bass on the latter. It reminds me of the Sega Genesis. I like that. There's a few instrumental tracks in here that are solid. Not every song is made equal though. There's two songs in particular that appear back-to-back at the beginning of side 2 that don't work for me. I'll start with the latter. "Strength of Your Nature" is a pretty repetitive dance song. This one's definitely better, but it feels kind of out-of-place on this album and it's not my favorite. But it's not my least favorite either! What where they thinking with "A Gospel"? Why is Paul Weller rapping on this song? Hello? I guess I can kind of respect the willingness to try new things, but the rapping also sucks so there's only so much kindness I can give towards that song. This album's weird. It's got some pretty high highs and embarrassing lows. It's a product of its time but also slightly ahead of the curve. It is Café Bleu by the Style Council. High 3/5.
Nikako nije moj đir iako je ok
1984. I was looking forward to this, and a strong start left me feeling that I'd foolishly overlooked TSC in the past. I like Weller's dip into jazz/jazz funk, which sits well in my ear. However, the second half of the album was a mishmash of differing styles that didn't really belong with each other on the same record, so I probably won't return. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ Good in places ★★★☆☆(6/10)
some songs i really love but some songs i really hated so LMAO.. i wish you could do half stars... this is 2.5
3 Stars (8/15)
Side 1 better as it's more batshit. Deserves a decent mark just for how much it must've pissed off the Wellends
Sounds like lounge music of the 70’s
80’s jazz vibe
I was liking this in the first half which leans more until the smooth jazz sound. It shows Paul Weller's versatility as a song writer for sure When the styles start to vary more with A Gospel and Strength of Your Nature introducing rap and funk into the mix it starts sounding a bit all over the place. 3* seems fair for a hit and miss album
Violent Femmes should have been 4
Starts off decent and for awhile but takes a huge inexcusable nosedive on song 8 i believe ("a gospel" maybe it was called) Like listening to Dee Dee Ramone try to rap. The rest of the album after this track was meh.
Interesting, different styles
Correcto
A fun and enjoyable experience.
Dated
Great dinner party album
Interesante sonido tiene el disco. Algunas canciones muy lindas.
It was an interesting album. The combination of instrumental jazz Melodies and songs with vocals and mix of genres make it for me.
The kind of music you'd hear in a jazz café where your friend brings you one time and keeps saying 'this is REAL music'. Don't get me wrong, it's decent, but you're not exactly blown out of the water after listening to this. It's more like a gentle splash.
I forget sometimes that bands used to sequence their albums with the Side A / Side B of vinyl in mind. That's definitely the case here. Side A is all cool, loungy jazz. Nice music all around. Then Side B explodes with a variety of styles including old school hip-hop, R&B, and pop. There's even a trio of songs at the end of the album that could be on a Dexys Midnight Runners album, a comparison that comes to mind because I saw on Wikipedia that the keyboardist here was briefly a part of that band. Interesting, eclectic album!
Yeah, I don't know. There really wasn't much consistency song to song - just a collection of random music.
Good jazz. Not particularly gripping.
I applaud their taking the risk with their genre departures from The Jam, but these tracks come off as a band pretending to actually understand American jazz and hip hop when they clearly don't. The songs seem to lack that piece of authenticity that are vital to those genres. Accomplished instrumental performances, but comes of a bit flat.
Highlights: Mick’s Blessing, Head Start for Happiness, Dropping Bombs On The White House. In a nutshell: “it’s been done” Note: The Wikipedia page is misleading. Cafe Blue is a mix of genres- blue eyed soul, soft jazz, pop *and* sophisti-pop. Could this be a supergroup instead of a collab, as The Style Council are members of The Jam and Dexy’s? There are some nice pieces but it doesn’t feel cohesive and it’s confusing. Pretty sure I heard some Chet Baker and Elvis Costello influences on here. Definitely Dexy’s with Mick Talbot on board. I wonder how many times The Style Council has featured in movies… Overall: 5/10
First one in a while that I'd never heard of. Seems like this list is super heavy on the brit pop and new wave. I do like new wave every now and again so this one should be interesting at least. Ok so this isn't bad, it's just kind of all over the place. I wouldn't call it new wave or Brit pop. It's more like jazzy easy listening with other random pop and R&B elements thrown in? I don't know. It's fine but nothing I would listen to a second time. 2.5/5
Love the Jam. Love the early 90s Paul Weller. I have never understood the intervening years of The Style Council. Hated it when I was younger. And it got worse and worse - to my young ears - as they went along. I was so happy when he finally ditched the gig. With that - I was curious how I would feel to revisit and if these soft jazz rock was more palatable. I can say it's better than I remember. It was hard to get past the angry young man I knew from the Jam laying down jazzy arrangements. More tolerable as a singles band whe you avoid experimental disasters like "A Gospel". Weller is still a great songwriter with an expressive voice. He deserves credit for taking a chance. Happy the revisit this era to understand it wasn't as bad as my young ears remember but I'm still happy this era ended.
That's a pretty odd album, have not listened for a long time. One of those albums that used to be common in 2nd hand record shops. Well it's not the Jam, though I do give PW credit for trying something different
Good
Always thought of SC purely in terms of their singles - first time I’ve listened to a full album. It shows its age, but would have been an intriguing to the sophistipop canon back in 84…
Some really awesome stuff in the first half. Lost me a bit in the second half but still an enjoyable listen
I enjoyed listening to this for the first time, although I’d never seek it out again.
80s chill
Aight
Pretty chill popish music that I have never heard before. Nice vocals and relaxed 80's music. I don't really remember any songs standing out but as a whole it would be nice to listen to during a relaxing evening.
Almost a pleasant listen with the two well known songs "You're The Best Thing" and "My Ever Changing Moods". worst: "A Gospel"
one half of this album is great, the other half is meh. the single version of My Ever Changing Moods is a personal fave though 🩷
I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about it. I think that’s because it plays with so many sounds and styles.
Not my favorite album by "The Style Council." Café Blue lacks drive overall for me. Yes, it's very relaxed, but I much prefer "Our Favourite Shop." A good album, with a few flaws. What's the point of that rap, for example, it's really bad. So, 3 stars, and I'd rather listen to their second album.
I was all in on this record until the midway point, then I pretty much hated it after that. The piano heavy jazz fusion with the kind of yacht pop was really doing it for me, but then it went full shit pop and really bad rap and I stopped liking it.
I enjoyed this, very fun listen. Sort of ragtime piano going on, very upbeat, but a large variety of songs on it. There was some very jazzy songs and more electric songs. I liked "Here's the one that got away" a lot. Good album
Would've been a 2, but I'm gonna give it +1 for the Tracey Thorn collab.
Good, not bad. Very much of its time. Never heard of this band.
Not bad
This one's tricky to rate. It starts off great - cleanly produced jazz and soul with great vocals - then A Gospel is an abomination and Strength of Your Nature isn't much better, then You're The Best Thing is a classic and pulls you right back in. Close to being a solid 4 without those two tracks spoiling it.
Wasn’t expecting these vibes but I dig. Solid 3 want to go up but cant.
I don't feel like this album had a clear theme other than 80s. I can't say it's boring though. Best Songs: My Ever Changing Moods, Here's the One That Got Away, Headstart for Happiness Worst Songs: Strength of Your Nature
good piano, some bangers
5/10…sophysti pop / new wave
Not bad. 3
Never listened to the Style Council before - no idea what's going on but I like it, nice to hear from Comrade Weller
Difficult. Generally, I liked the album and I think that a 3 is too little. On the other hand I also don't find the album that good and therefore I think that a 4 is too high. Today I'll decide for a 3. Tomorrow I might have a given a 4.
The Whole Point Of No Return // My Ever Changing Moods // You’re The Best Thing // 2.5/5
Once again, the Style Council is a band that I’ve never heard, or heard of. Generally, I did enjoy this album. I really didn’t know what to expect, so I liked it more than I anticipated. The only song I really did not care for was, A Gospel and that’s predictable, as I am not a hip-hop fan. Most of this album serves as pleasant background music. For me, this one comes in at three stars solidly.
Mick's Blessing is fun! I like how jazzy it is. Occasionally I'm reminded of Geordie Greep. Okay the rapping on A Gospel was...unexpected. I ended up liking the first half quite a bit better than the second. Still, 3.5/5?
Remarkable variety, track for track--really a tour de force. If you gave me the 13 tracks randomly and asked how many were from a single album, I would probably guess 2 or 3. This would be less impressive even 10 years later with the rise of electronic music, but they did so much of this themselves!
wow, this was sure a variety pack of genres. we've had kind of a kick of that this week. the rapping didn't work for me, but i liked the other stuff just fine.
Kaiken puolin aika monipuolinen levy. Jazzimpaa kamaa, new wavea ja yksi räppi kappalekkin. Tyylikästä. Parhaat: The Wholw Point Of No Return
Very confused by this album. Some of the songs ruled. Some of the songs sounded like the demo. Loved the jazzy shit and Paul weller is awesome. Love all the genre bending
I really enjoyed the first half of this album. And then the '80s sounds came in.
Really uneven
Abwechslungsreich, jedoch ohne Richtung und klingt oft wie Jazz aus einem Werbevideo oder Computerdemo. Das Album ist so smooth, das wirklich wenig hängen bleibt.
I was expecting a lot more r&b/blue eyed soul based on how incredible Youre The Best Thing Is. But this was all over the place.
Fine
Album 709 of 1001 The Style Council - Cafe Bleu (1984) Rating : 3 / 5 Wasn't expecting too much so was a little surprised. There were some low moments, such as their turn at rapping, but overall it was alright. A 1984 release, it seems a few years before its time.
Kinda easy lounge listening with a dance song thrown in. 3*
2.6 - Okay I think technically great and some great music. But I feel like this could be a band famous for playing on cruise ships or something. A bit of everything and just not that memorable
This was surprisingly good, but the record absolutely has an identity crisis in my mind. One song is a jazz tune, the next an 80s synth, then a 70s ballad. While this might be the whole point of the band, it felt too jarring to listen to altogether.
This was a really weird one and I was really vibing with the jazz music, but then there was some rap music all of a sudden that I thought the album ended and Spotify started playing a different artist. Nope. Same artist, same album. Shame they didn’t just stick to jazz.
3.5
when i saw paul weller's name attached to this one, i was pretty optimistic. i like his other work. oh my god, what the hell is this. sometimes it's a swing album. sometimes it's the most boring 80s pop album you've ever heard. sometimes it's a terrible rap album. sometimes it's a knock-off of a knock-off of a raydio album. genuinely a bizarre album that has no idea what its identity is. sure, let's throw everything at the wall and see if it sticks! well, nothing sticks. it's all not great. what the hell
A very smooth, jazzy sound from this group I don't think I ever heard of. Really like the often tongue-in-cheek titles, like "The Whole Point of No Return."
Soft rock, fusion, good musicianship and easy to listen to. Kind of lounge-esque at points.
Usually I find diversity in an album refreshing, but in this case it might be too much.
This was cute! Maybe a little all over the place. The beginning of the album, I was enjoying the instrumentals and almost jazzy type of music. And then the album took a turn around halfway through. Not to say the second half of the album is bad, but I enjoyed the almost jazzy atmosphere more than the attempt at rapping or the more up-tempo music that almost felt like an attempt at disco. "The Paris Match" and "My Ever Changing Moods" were both really nice.
A personal favorite of mine even before this list. The Style Council has some of my favorite Paul Weller compositions. This album has a lot of instrumentals on it with other classics such as My Ever Changing Moods, You're The Best Thing and Headstart For Happiness. This album is a good transition album in the Weller catalog as it transitions from The Jam sound to The Style Councils best album Our Favourite Shop. The album gives you a look into Weller's mind as he reimagines the sound he is trying to find by surrounding himself with new musicians. This new sound came to a refined head in the Our Favourite Shop album that follows.
This album started off with some mellow jazz, then suddenly a rap song happened, followed by some upbeat punk. An odd mix, but it wasn't actively bad.
The big hits are timeless classics that you know well. The rest seems a bit more stuck in a time capsule for me. Very mid-60s pop.
I don't understand. This album is so inconsistent that I don't know what to make of it. It has some truly painful songs that made me feel like I was stuck in a smooth jazz hell (You're The Best Thing was absolutely THE WORST), some okay instrumentals, Council Meetin' that I absolutely loved and two funk songs just thrown in the middle. The funk was refreshing but I'm very confused and not in fun 'wow, that was a wild ride!'-way.
Very inconsistent
Some pleasant songs
Sophisto-what?
not bad
Well this one's jolly peculiar isn't it? From 1984 but without a synthesiser in sight, some of it could be on a jazz album, some sounds a bit like the Jam, there's even a completely implausisble rap track in there. And a decently charting single, too, "You're the Best Thing". Three stars for trying absolutely everything, but not more because it's not clear how much actually works.
Weird album. All over the place. It's hard to have an opinion here.
3.5
Pleasant surprise, though the more hip-hop leaning songs kind of feel out of place.
Not much to say about this one. It was fine. Upbeat, pretty fun to listen to. Not much more beyond that.
Interesting but all over the place. Not exactly a coherent theme to the album. Almost felt like a movie soundtrack.
I love the bouncy, jazzy fun of the faster instrumental tracks. Less interesting when we get into lyrics. And "A Gospel" is just the usual kind of self-righteous rap. I'd be rating this higher if they'd just cut the less interesting songs and left a slimmer, stronger album.
Ok. I’m not smart enough to understand jazzy piano music.
Great in places
Not really sure what to think of this one. I didn't hate it but I don't know who this album was made for. 3/5
I kinda liked it because it was jazzy. But I could see the complaints from the artist description about the artist being a little on the nose with his social complaints in music.
Great jazz, terrible rapping.
Interesting for the purposes of this list for its embrace of jazz in an era where pop music was reaching for something new in the post-punk era. Paul Weller, a fitful pioneer in early post-punk, clung to the 60's mods in his sound, with a strong Beatles and Who influence. It came really as no surprise that he'd go for easy jazz as an influence with The Style Council. In all, it's not a great record, but it's a worthwhile experiment. The rap interlude halfway through aged like milk, but leave it to Weller to experiment.
It feels like they where trying to write song to be in the background of movies. They tried a little bit of everything, hoping something would stick. Nothing really memorable though.
I completely didn't get this when it came out, like a lot of people I wanted more Jam. Now I think I see what Weller was trying to do with it: move beyond the abstract, coded cool of the Mods back to the earlier, actual stuff that inspired them.
Schöns erschts Lied, s 2. passt aber grad nöd dezu. S ganze Album isch nüd stimmig. Jetzt bini aber entosche - han meh erwartet. Öppis wie "Walls come tumbeling down"
noniiie ghört vo dene kei ahnig wani söll erwarte. micks blessings isch sochli gospel klavier findi huuuere geil? whole point of no return sehr schöni gitarre tönt irgendwie noch 90er neo soul aber seehr cool. wer sind sie?? sie sind sehr cool? me ship came in chli easy listening jazz type bossa instrumental. blue cafe au ehner es lahms instrumental aber de gitarrebueb cha öppis het öpus knopfler mässigs. the paris match au schöön i like aber was mached brite ide 80er??? scho ein biiitzli hölzern irgendwie. my ever changing moods au sehr cools klavier aber s ischmer chli zu easy listening gad. droppng bombs on the whitehouse chillliigg. aso isch fr e sehr chilligs instrumental sehr modern jazz recht normal. a gospel isch en rap? iich weiss nich. irgendwie isch das ganze bis etz seeehr white gsi. jo s ischs immerno. strength of your nature isch meh da woni eigentli vo dem album erwartet hett. passt jetz eigentlich meeeega nöd drii. aber finds no geil uuuhuere nervös. chli thomas dolby. alte s goht recht dumm. aber wiso sind nöd alli songs chli meh i dem stil, bzw wiso isch de song do? youre the best thing sehr cute song, bass isch goofy as hell. ok rieeeese song banger certified geil sehr cool. heres ine that got away mit de fiddle?? es isch so all over the place hooly shit. aber seehr coole song sie singed recht schön zeme immer zweistimmig finds super. isch bitz dexy's (de pianist isch glaub ex dexy's). okay da isch e komischs album gsi wo nöd weiss wases will irgendwie. alles recht cool, ussert d jazz instrumentals hets nöd uuunbedingt brucht, hetmer meh gfalle wenns singed.
mivk's blessing mega fun finds recht abwechsligsrich und cool bis jz! jz kei banger aber sehr schön, mengisch würkeds meh wie ideä hahahaha dropping bombs on thw white house tönt nöd so violent wie de titel tönt hmm gospel findi passt jz scho nöd so unglaublich jaa coole bass aber naja ouh ja ich han di erst paar lieder um einiges besser gfunde als das au you're the best thing findi chli flach? here's one that got away hani gar nöd gern erinneret mi chli ah dexy midnight runners hmm huere schwierig, I guess es 3? han de ahfang und denn wieder geg de schluss spass gha, aber de mittler teil mit rap und chli meh pop-orientierte (?) sache hemmer nöd gfalle
Gets points for trying something different and has it's moments, but frequently gets boring
Good
Generally a fun pop album to listen to. It really transformed over time, and the end felt nothing like the beginning. The one rap song was pretty bad, and there are definitely turns that I wish they didn't go, but I respect them for trying.
Early acid jazz? I like some of this - generally the earlier songs on the record. The synthy poppy stuff not so much.
Based on the country of origin, vintage, and name of this band I believed I knew what this would sound like. The vocals came in as what I expected, but I underestimated the jazziness on the instrumentation. Exceeded expectations.
I liked a lot of this but that rap song in the middle was an abomination.
'You're The Best Thing' sounds like it's coming from my Sega Mega Drive.
J’ai trouvé l’album un peu éparpillé, après ce qui s’annonçait comme influencé par le jazz; les styles se succédaient
This was the most unexpected sounding album I’ve encountered so far. These brothers gave me mid for almost an entire project and then “You’re the best thing” played and it upped this albums rating for me. That song is just so good for no reason at all.
Nice.
Felt like a very weird mix of the sugar hill gang and the b52s
Very Jazz, but some great singles on here. Both of which I hadn't realised were Paul Weller to be fair. Not horrible singles picked it up.
01) Mick's Blessings - 6,0 02) The Whole Point of No Return - 7,0 03) Me Ship Came In! - 6,5 04) Blue Café - 6,5 05) The Paris Match - 6,5 06) My Ever Changing Moods - 7,0 07) Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse - 5,5 08) A Gospel - 6,5 09) Strength of Your Nature - 6,5 10) You're the Best Thing - 7,0 11) Here's One That Got Away - 6,0 12) Headstart for Happiness - 6,5 13) Council Meetin - 5,5 TOTAL: 6,38 (64/100) Current ranking: 292/390
I iiis all over the place, but individually all songs are actually pretty good
“Kick out the style bring back the jam” as Tears for Fears once sang! 3 maybe 4 top tunes on here, some pointless musical noodling and a God awful rap about sums this up. Not Wellers finest but a brave change in direction from a great British musician/songwriter.
Not for me. Interesting and fairly advanced for its place in time but maybe a bit too immature in some ways? Felt like fat boy slim as a toddler?
This album has a little bit of something for everybody. There's eurofusion, piano that could be from the soundtrack of every Peanuts movie ever made, and 80's white rap. And it's better than a lot of the albums from this list that I've already listened to.
The first few songs felt like I should be chasing Michael Caine chase Roger Moore across Parisian arrondissements, Italian beaches, Moroccan rooftops. With some sensual interludes, of course--maybe even between the two of them whaaaaaaaat asking for a friend. ...that friend being Elton John, whose vibes are all over the middle third of this album, from the clanging love-politic piano to the pseudo-rap-be-bop stuff. And then the last third, I must say, beyond "Marvin Gaye chasing Stevie Wonder around the piano" (I'd hate to ask Stevie to evade anyone in any larger a setting), I don't even know how to describe it. An ecclectic album, to be sure. Amazing that one band produced it all. My enjoyment level fell in inverse proportion to the number of tracks I listened to. But in terms of the project--definitley one I'm glad to know exists that I didn't before.
This was fine, lulls you in with a bit of jazz then goes a bit off piste. Decent listen and some tracks I had no idea were them.
This started out pretty strong but lost some interest towards the end. Overall I liked some of it. Maybe a 3.5 or a flat 3/5
Posh twat university student core.
I didn’t recognise the band name The Style Council, but was surprised to find that I definitely recognised the track You’re The Best Thing. Apple Music describes this as rock, but it’s definitely more of a Smooth FM vibe than rock. It got interesting and a little jazzy in areas that made my ears prick up, but this didn’t happen often enough. This feels like a decent coffee shop album to have on and help people unwind, but it’s not something I’d consider to be an essential listen personally.
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Such an oddity of an album. So many different genres here. Goes from jazz to pop to almost old school hip hop. Almost makes me wonder if this was a soundtrack or something. I feel like I should listen to it again.
Weird record. Some really cool stuff, some really bad stuff. Will need to come back to it at some point. 3/5
groovy album with a variety of sounds between songs. easy listen but not jaw dropping, would give a 3.5
Really had me in the first half. More genres than i expected based on album cover. Fav songs the paris match, blue cafe, me ship came in. Might be good playlisy for chill days with joey
Enjoyed it
Great rock album by Paul Weller after The Jam. Standouts: The Whole Point Of No Return, My Ever Changing Moods and You're The Best Thing
I liked a lot of the stuff on this, but then there was some stupid 80’s stuff. What was it doing there? It doesn’t fit the rest of the album at all, and it just served to make me remove a star. That being said, the softer stuff is nice.
If you like it, you like it I suppose. I like Paul Weller and the Style Council. Fella like they were just finding their way here though. I didn't hate any of it, and quite liked a lot of it. Three jazzy stars.
That was a pretty interesting, eclectic listen. Didn't expect all the jazzy instrumentals -- most of which were really good! Unexpected bangers: Strength of your Nature, You're the Best Thing
Exceedingly middling, save for My Ever Changing Moods. Entirely inoffensive and entirely bland.
Paul weller
Kind of a strange one. The rapping was a bit much but it wasn’t bad. Light 3.
Paul Weller is a musical chameleon. Style Council shows his smooth and melodic side. You're the Best Thing and My Ever Changing Mood are both great songs. The rest of the album is good, but doesn't get to that level of excellence. Should get a 3.5.
Not bad for elevator music
Plesantly suprised, would be 4 stars if they didn't include a rap.
I can imagine many Jam fans being a bit bemused by this. It doesn't seem to know what it wants to be, but I suppose there's at least a little bit of something for everyone.
Not quite sure what to make of this... usually I like some genre-wandering but this just felt really disjointed. Individually the tracks are mostly fine I guess. "Strength of Your Nature" a funky highlight. "Council Meeting" a happy noodle. I've never been a fan of the slick smooth sleazy r'n'b sound in "You're the Best Thing".
Not as good as I hoped for. Their best is great, I like the classic sound of that single which took them all around the world, but the rest of their catalogue is not really engaging for me. High three stars, not quite 4.
What was this?! Felt like it was split into two completely different, individual, mutually exclusive albums—the first being significantly better, nearly five worthy. Latter half was nothing special. Overall, surprisingly intriguing, I’m already listening to it again (but only the first 20 mins).
I liked the album surprisingly well. The 80s were sometimes terrible. The smooth jazz was quite nice. However, the album as a whole didn't excite me enough to make me want to listen to it more often, even though individual tracks are very nice. 3/5
Style Council remembered as kinda upbeat smooth jazz with a modern electronic twist. They got some play on the soft rock station with My Ever Changing Moods and You’re The Best Thing. Best song is Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse (the title of which may have gotten them on the 1001 list.) Totally forgot about this band, but enjoyed the listen (3.3*s)
Cool highlights but it dragged on in a few places
If you were to ask me what genre of album Cafe Bleu is, I would respond “yes” without a hint of irony. Wikipedia says it is sohisti-pop, which sounds like a bullshit genre. Just call it jazz pop or something. But this album goes so all over the place that those two genres don’t even describe half of Cafe Bleu. It’s one thing that half of the songs are instrumentals and the other half are sung. But this album goes everywhere. One minute it’s the Weather Channel (Blue Cafe), then Paul Weller is serenading me with his voice (My Ever Changing Moods, The Whole Point of No Return), then it’s high energy jazz(Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse), and then Paul decides to rap (A Gospel) and I die a bit inside. I am very conflicted on this one. Obviously the album’s lack of focus kind of hurts it for me. Variety is good, but this feels a little too much. However, I did really enjoy some of the songs, mostly the slower ones. The aforementioned Weather Channel vibe hits in a good way. Mixed with Paul’s vocals, I almost considered this album a guilty pleasure. I kind of wish that is was the whole album, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more (and it would have spared me from some god-awful rapping). As is, I give this a 3, but it’s more of a 2.5. Favorite track: My Ever Changing Moods Other hits: You’re the Best Thing, The Paris Match, Blue Cafe, Strength of Your Nature (this song is kinda stupid, but I kinda dig it, even if the lyrics are literally two sentences)
It feels like a lot of half ideas. It's okay, and I'm always going to like it if you throw a bit of jazz in there, but it doesn't really elevate itself.
Already forgotten it
alright, sounds a lot like wet wet wet
Favourite songs: My Ever Changing Moods, Strength Of Your Nature, You’re The Best Thing
The sound of this album is timeless. It should be the soundtrack to a romantic comedy set in Paris. Unfortunately the run from Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse through You’re The Beat Thing lets the rest of the his album down.
Quirky little album. Fusion of all kind of weird stuff
As a child of the seventies, I grew up with The Jam, enjoying their energy. The Style Council was a bit of a shock to the system, and seemed rather bland. This album hasn't changed that opinion.
Pretty eclectic. An interesting variety of styles. Interesting even if I didn't fall in love with it. Would listen again.
This album was actually quite relaxing to do work to and it kept me going but didn’t put me quite to sleep, however once I stopped working then I kind of got slightly bored by it. I don’t think I would ever pick it to listen to but it was nice to have non distracting background noise.
A definite / hard turn from The Jam - and more than a bit precious and bouncy at times i.e. the heavy mod rock from Paul Weller is gone gone gone but it's quite a nice listen for the most part. Musicianship is outstanding which carries the load even in most of the weaker parts (notable exception: the embarrassing rap of "A Gospel" which is hilariously out of step and just terrible). I don't know that I'd ever heard this album version of "My Ever Changing Moods" before which is so different from the single/video - I like this piano-driven one better. Overall I don't know how much I truly connect with it even if it's "nice" to listen to throughout (the terrible rap the high/notable exception) - damning with faint praise, that. Almost a classic 3.5 here - not quite enough to put into keeper status but I'll also never be upset to hear it. 7/10 3 stars
Not my thing. Typical 80s stuff. Not bad though, but not more than a 2.6
The Style Council was Paul Weller's project after he broke up The Jam because he did not like the band's musical direction. Weller wanted to add elements of jazz and soul to his songwriting, and he didn't think the Jam was up to the task. The Style Council made "sophisti-pop," R&B based songs, with technical musicianship typically found in jazz recordings. Cafe Bleu is the band's first album, and may be their best work. It was also their most successful, perhaps attributable to Weller's previous success, and one single, "My Ever Changing Moods," which was close to the sound of a Jam song. Most of the album is outside of the bounds of typical pop music, and far enough from Weller's previous work to limit the Style Council's appeal to his previous fan base.
At first this is a nice palette cleanser after the Bon Jovi I was made to listen to. Really digging the more straightforward tracks like Paris Match and My Ever Changing Moods that focus on the vocal performances and overall tone of the song. These guys really run the spectrum here though. Many of these feel like experimentations and overall this album feels like the council hasn't found an agreement on their style of choice. Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse for instance, firmly plants itself within the jazz genre without really adding anything to the genre. It's nice and good jazz, and I suppose that is sometimes enough, but when a lot of jazz musicians can innovate 1000 times better, what is the point? Then you got everything from a piano improvisation to a rap song? Now I have to know more about who these guys are.. This is borderline irresponsible experimentation and I'm a little impressed by their sheer abandon. I'm coming down hard on these gents, but I feel like they have a lot to offer and are missing an opportunity by sounding like they're just passing through styles rather than by helping to define them.
This is wild. Complete genre mash up. Some great stuff but I don't think I'd ever listen again because I don't know what mood i need to be in to say "cafe bleu is what I'm craving"
Different to what I usually listen to. Listened through the album, but did not add to my overall playlist.
This is kinda a cool and weird album. I experienced it mainly as background music, but it's done in a neat style that I wouldn't have expected for a mid-80s album. Lots of orchestration that makes the sound feel really full. Still, though, it kinda played through without ever making me pay much attention to it 3/5
It's actually got some pretty decent jazzy bits, but there's also quite a bit that should have stayed in the '80s.
It’s quite fun listen but stays very safe.
A bit of a mess, frankly, but with some high points
I didnt hate this album, I like the instrumental tracks. The vocal are bland, and the rap vocal track is not great, but the overall vibe isnt bad. That said, I probably could have died without ever hearing it, you know? 3/5
jazzy piano pop which is fun. Favorite track: my ever changing moods other picks: the whole point of no return, paris match, you’re the best thing
A very weird and pretty polished genre mish-mash. Quite listenable even if I didn’t love some of it. Worth hearing if only for the novelty. Best song: The Paris Match
catchy but not much special
I appreciate the variety, but not everything worked. The vocalists feel unevenly matched, and the instrumental tracks have variable quality. Gold goes to "The Paris Match" (I've been watching the 2024 Olympics all week).
This album was totally fine. There were interesting elements to it, but they were buried under a lot of generic smooth jazz and 80s pop nonsense.
Paul Weller has created good music with the jam and solo. This is rather forgettable.
The name The Style Council sounded familiar to me, so I thought something on this album would maybe ring a bell. No bells. The first time through was a bit of a see saw - at time I was liking the ride, at other times not so much. This leaned more easy listening than I expected, which is not a negative for me… maybe that was part of the see-saw ride… but as the second half continued I was more on the up side of the see-saw which inspired me to listen a second time. I enjoyed this more the second listen. Nothing I’m going to get crazy excited over but a fine listen.
Stylish
Some tracks were on the side of elevator music, but others reminded me of deeper jazz roots. I found this album wholly pleasant, but not quite earth-shattering.
Very strange album, 3 or 4 distinct sounds that do not mesh well. Some good tracks lift it. The rapping is unforgivable
Es el proyecto más ambicioso de Paul Weller una vez separados los Jam, con influencias del jazz, el soul, el rap y el pop. No me inspiran demasiado los instrumentales de jazz, sin embargo los temas pop fusionados con aires soul y compuestos por Weller son estupendos. Es el caso de "You're The Best Thing", una canción de amor y la que más me gusta del disco, o de "My Ever Changing Moods", sobre las cambiantes emociones y sentimientos que inevitablemente nos brinda la vida. También destacaría la jazzistica "The Paris Match", cantada por Tracey Thorn, sobre la soledad y la amarga nostalgia por amores pasados, y la muy social "The Whole Point Of No Return", sobre la desigualdad de clases y la necesidad de una revolución. A nivel estilístico cabe mencionar el experimento rap de "A Gospel".
weird album! all over the place musically
it was ok but why did he start rapping
Not bad, but I definitely prefer The Jam.
Not the biggest fan of the white soul from Britain in the 80's. Not sure why, cuz it's not like it's bad. I'm guessing cuz I was so deep in punk and Indie music at that time, it felt "wimpy" to me. But as I listen to this, I almost feel as if I was right. This is pretty wimpy and I like my soul a bit more intense. Though, to be fair, it is kinda growing on me, maybe not in away that this will be on my playlists, but something I can tolerate if it is on.
Not what I was expecting at all, in a good way. I was worried this would be more British garbage when I saw the band name but it was a pretty good album. The piano especially was a highlight but also the horns and other backing instruments. Really all over the place though stylistically. 6.5/10 (3.25/5)
The opening track was some great piano. Ok. I can’t tell if this is a jazz record. Light pop. Adult contemporary? This is a really good record.
Weller's gonna Weller.
nice
Pleasant
Strength of your nature is a jam.
Sometimes I wasn’t sure what was going on but I liked a lot of it anyway lol 🤩 some great instrumental jazz and then on other songs there’s cringe rapping and singing, lots of highs and lows on here
Well... that was an interesting listen This album had an identity crisis. The random rap song really threw me off I enjoyed a few of the songs on there, but also the album had some bad ones. So overall it was alright. Not the worst I've heard 3 ⭐️
It’s chill. It’s ok, won’t listen again but it’s chill in a funky way.
Mix of styles. Not bad.
Weller never quite got the genius level his early work suggested. Nonetheless Style council was pretty cool. It ain’t over is soulful. The album is strong. But top 1000? 3 stars.
This could have been a 5 until the Gospel lol
Kinda cringe!
Aight
I love the jam and liked Paul’s solo albums I’ve heard so was excited to hear this transition. It’s definitely cool in the context of his career as it’s such a left turn to what he was doing. However as an album on its own it didn’t do much for me. No songs I think I would return to. Rating: 2.8
It’s like a breakup letter written by a saxophone.
Pleasant surprise after the last two days of agony. While not my typical listening choice, this was great Sunday morning drive music.
Music my sister used to listen to. Kinda nostalgic.
ok
I dig the piano driven jazz pop sound MOST of this has. There were a couple of whiplash songs, but generally a pretty good album. I could explore more.
This is another new one to me. It’s a strange, eclectic album that mixes jazz and soft rock with pop, soul, and even hip hop sprinkled in. It’s an interesting listen and musically it sounds awesome at times. I don’t love it as an album front to back, the shifts in styles are a little jarring to me, but several tracks are fun.
Very nice. Actually music and talent.
Abbastanza carino, spazia tanti generi, molte canzoni sono belle.
Decent, not great.
The first half was a lot better than the second
"Me Ship Came In!" and "My Ever Changing Moods" are the standout tracks. Paul Weller's soul stuff is much better than the jazz tracks. Wildly uneven.
Wasn't in the mood for this one
This album is just all over the place. It takes you on a journey from classical jazz to early hip-hop to smooth jazz to lounge to light rock. It truly is quite the listening experience. But it's somewhat hard to rate effectively. There's not really a standout track on here. You're the Best Thing is the most well-known track, but if you don't know that, it's not really one that sticks out. All-in-all, it's a good, not great album.
chill. enjoyed it on my commute. In 1984, I would have hated this music,
The jazz and funk were cool. The rap was not. ‘My Ever Changing Mood’ and ‘You’re the Best Thing’ are the keepers.
While having some decent tunes in the back half, some of the tracks just feel like they'd be playing in a crappy Hobby Lobby. It's a low 3.5 for me.
It’s a 3.5 that I think I’m going to round down to a 3. I really don’t think there’s a bad track here, save for two examples: the egregiously cheesy and quintessentially 80s “A Gospel,” and “Strength of Your Nature,” which is fine but did not need to be 4 minutes long. Every other track, besides My Ever Changing Moods & Headstart for Happiness, ended up as a good listen, but not a very memorable one. Those two were the standouts for me. Individually, I think there’s some good soundscapes, some good vocal performances, and even the instrumental tracks have a nice energy to them. The problem is that other than those 2 tracks, nothing really stuck to my brain on this album, but I’d honestly say I enjoyed most of it while I was listening to it. There are songs here I’d be happy to hear come up in a shuffle, but I don’t think I’d actively seek them out. I do think it’s higher than a 3, but it’s not quite at the level of a 4, so I’ll stick it at a 3. It might jump up to a 4 later though.
Maybe 3.5? Not all of this dated well but there's some undeniable bangers
"Café Bleu" by The Style Council is a stylish and eclectic album that effortlessly blends elements of jazz, soul, pop, and funk. Released in 1984, it showcases Paul Weller's versatility as a songwriter and musician, moving away from the punk rock sound of his previous band, The Jam. With its sophisticated arrangements and smooth production, "Café Bleu" creates a vibrant atmosphere reminiscent of a bustling café in Paris. Tracks like "My Ever Changing Moods" and "You're The Best Thing" stand out for their catchy melodies and heartfelt lyrics, while instrumental interludes add depth and variety to the album. While "Café Bleu" exudes charm and sophistication, some may find its stylistic diversity and experimental touches slightly disjointed. However, overall, it's a delightful listen that captures the essence of cool sophistication and earns a solid 3 out of 5 rating.
Jovial and energetic blend of new wave and synthwave. Entertaining and engaging and a tastemaker album for sure.
"What genres do you want on the album?" "Yes."
Smooth Weller. A taste of better things to come. Some much more tuneful offerings, shunning the Jam energy unfortunately
Some wonderful songs on what is a bizarrely constructed album. So odd, it seems to work. I think…
Almost too stylish
Tsja kan hier niet echt iets van maken. Easy going maar ben het de volgende dag alweer vergeten. Oh well
Non è possibile dare meno di 3* ad un'icona come Paul Weller. Nello specifico album troppo lungo, ma con alcune perle che splendono ancora. Ma un album comunque originale nel 1984, che ha aperto la strada a futuri nuovi sottogeneri/movimenti
Quite a funky beast
Would make an amazing EP.
Really enjoyed the first half so was expecting the rest of the album to live up to that but just didn’t cut it for me
The modfathers side project, never appreciated Style Council enough but this album is great, has a European esque to it with a couple of twists 3.5 / 5
Byrjar af nokkrum krafti en fjarar örlítið út. Mest spilaða lagið, You're the best thing, er ekki með þeim betri, og rappið í Gospel gerir ekkert fyrir mig. En það er samt fullt skemmtilegt hérna á milli. Rúmur þristur.
I like the jazz influenced pieces…not so much the rap. Some interesting music, though nothing groundbreaking. A fairly enjoyable listen.
I wasn't really sure of their sound and enjoyed their very chill groove.
Why did he start rapping. Other than that this was decent
Strange album. I kind of dig the instrumental stuff on Mick's Blessings and Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse, but then there is some very, very 80s sounding stuff that doesn't age well in A Gospel and You're the Best Thing. Ny favorite here is Blue Cafe by a lot. All in all, good highs, bad lows, mid album.
interesante combinación, lo pondrían en una cafetería de la calle de las pizzas
Never listened to this before. . . Probably never will again, although a few tracks are catchy and interesting, especially considering this came out in 1984.
This album goes on a bit of a ride...from chill cocktail hour light jazz vibes, to weird early 80s rap and very dated music. Then it circles back to light jazz and then a track that sounds almost country! And then turns into something I would picture Michael Buble singing if he sang in the early 80s. Concluding with a stereotypical instrumental 80s UK sounding track.
Jazz rock fusion with slight bias towards jazz notes.
3.3/5 Best Track: You're the Best Things
first half of the album is alright, 2nd half has a lot of stereotypically 80s garbage. 2.6
According to wikipedia the genre is sophisti-pop. It is a bit too sophisticated perhaps and not very consistent, yet it is not bad at all.
Ups and downs, but overall quite fun
It’s ok but started to bore a bit after a while
Some very fun songs and some mid songs. Almost a 4.
Love 'Ever changing moods'. Rest is nice but expected a bit more based on the songs I knew
Being totally honest, I didn’t pay too much attention to this one, so maybe I didn’t get as much out of it as I could have. But I wasn’t into this one at all. 5/10 Top 3: 1. The Whole Point Of No Return 2. Strength Of Your Nature 3. The Paris Match
One of the songs is called "my everchanging moods". That's what it is. Part ultra retro jazz, part ultra modern (for the mid 80s) rap and almost Prince-like funk. None of it is terrible, but none of it sounds like the real thing. Favorite song: council meetin'
I can only surmise that Paul Weller hit his head and, upon awakening, was exposed solely to the music of Joe Pass and Wes Montgomery. A diverting, even charming (in places) little oddity of an album. Wasn't quite my cup of tea, though.
Classic Weller. Why does “You’re the best thing” sound like a cover?? I can’t be alone in this.
Soft jazz/ soul /rock aptly done but not too exciting.
Mellow.
3.5
A long winded random album that was enjoyable as background noise.
I was surprised but I really liked this!!!