Cafe Bleu

•Not owned: Streaming •Interesting jazz project from Paul Weller who clearly loves the art form—and the many avenues it offers him, all put to good use. •3.5/5

Mellow Weller doing a kind of Blue Nile sorta thing. I like it.

the style council created an album that hit nearly every single genre to ever exist. a slight exaggeration, but i was surprised in the genres chosen for cafe bleu. as a mostly jazz album, it could have the sultry jazz you'd hear in a lounge with dimmed lighting or a beautiful instrumental. but there's also a song that sounds like cheesy, eighties hip hop, or some prince-inspired funk vibes, or straight up rock from the seventies. i admired the creativity because it was so easy to differentiate between different songs, but the second half of the album was too different. i wanted more of a natural flow. regardless, a 3 for creativity.

Musikalisch gesehen ganz cool, vielfältig und abwechslungsreich...um es regelmäßig zu hören, ist es mir aber ein bisschen zu entspannt und ruhig :) 6/10

Like flipping though radio stations

moah

This was interesting, but it wasn't very cohesive. I'm not sure if I'd listen again but I did enjoy it.

A few good jazz tracks, and some mish-mash of other genre's didn't feel cohesive to me.

What a mixed bag - this was all over the place. The jazzy instrumental tracks were pleasant enough, but the rest wasn't really my thing.

Nice variety of tracks

I’m a big fan of Paul Weller (and Tracey Thorn) so naturally I love this record. It’s no Jam, which is to Weller’s credit that he could create a record that embraces jazz and pop so well. The Paris Match, Ever Changing Moods, You’re The Best Thing,… great tunes. However… as great as those songs are there are few that drag the whole effort down. Strength of Your Nature and A Gospel… are embarrassments. Net result: a 3 that really wants to be a 4

The best songs are the instrumentals or those with guest vocalists, which is weird because I think Weller is a great singer.

Instrumental tracks were nice, but nothing special.

This is my perfect example of a goal album in this 1001 exercise. Completely unknown to me and absolutely erratic on the genre bending. It’s unique in the clarity of production and musical elements for the early-mid 80s. It befuddles and bemuses. Art jazz and contemporary piano bar meet new school swing with undertones of prog rock and hip-hop fusion. Quite something. Difficult to place on a whole star scale. Like The Slip in places but almost resonating with the feeling of “CBS Sound”. Possibly the most manic album ever. Touches of Prince, Tool, Devo, Paul Anka, Tribe called Quest and Parliament et.al. When you ask someone what kinds of music they like, they respond “Everything” queue this one. 3.75/5

Not my thing.

I really wanted to hate this. Paul Weller is such a bell end and the "Style Council" ranks as one of the most pretentious names for a band in all time, only overshadowed by the "Cafe Bleu" album name. I was pleased to find that Mr Weller's solo work was indeed awful. I looked at the guest musicians on this album and groaned inwardly. Prefab Sprout was enough for me to crack my knuckles and prepare for a 1 star review incoming. However, I actually rather enjoyed this, even the godawful "rap" track wasn't as bad as I expected. Attempting to listen to this with no preconceptions was difficult, made more so by the two singles I vaguely remembered from when this was first released. But I did my best and I honestly feel like this was very close to a 4 star album. I'm giving it 3 because there's still something that felt a bit "off" about the whole affair, a little too eclectic, maybe the instrumental tracks were a bit too similar to telephone on-hold muzak?

Paul Weller of the Jam quits his punk roots and goes in the completely opposite direction, with a very early sophisti-pop record, blending various forms of pop together in a feel-good lounge experience. Mick's Blessings 2/5: a short high-energy gospel-infused jazz opener; fairly weak and forgettable but decent The Whole Point of No Return 2/5: minimalist pop with just echoey vocals and a groovy guitar; chill and decent but also boring and forgettable Me Ship Came In 3/5: Latin-infused swing with some sick horn improv solos, sounds like part of a spy movie soundtrack Blue Cafe 4/5: simple and beautiful, reminiscent of 50s traditional pop but with a modern 80s airy guitar Paris Match 5/5: my favorite track; features Tracey Thorn from Everything But The Girl; bossa nova style with a hazy fuzz and beautiful piano improv and chorus guitar; super calming and loungey My Ever Changing Mood 3/5: minimalist 80s pop with piano-base; his vocals are ok but feels weird not in a punk-context Dropping Bombs on the White House 3/5: modern hard pop featuring improv horns and piano on top of a nice consistent groove A Gospel 2/5: old school hip hop rarely holds up; this is not one of those rare exceptions... it sucks and is derivative of the few other hip hop songs out there at the time; the raps are cringe; at least the groove is pretty cool and has cool alien-like effects Strength of Your Nature 2/5: just like the above, it doesn't work much at all and comes off as forced; as least they try hard; the points go for the overproduction and sick synth bridge You're the Best Thing 5/5: a classic representative of early sophisti-pop with lush instrumentals; overall a very fine track, I just think it lacks innovation and the chorus is a bit weak Here's the One That Got Away 4/5: sounds like a sitcom intro but fuller and more interesting; a feel-good mix between 2-tone and jazz, also reminds me of the band Madness or the New Pop movement; all-around a great song, just needs an extra oomph to stand out Headstart For Happiness 3/5: jazzy blue-eyed soul, pretty full and lush (which gives it a plus for other songs in the genre) but otherwise a bit generic and predictable, and the ending sucks (except for the smooth closing notes) Council Meetin 2/5: matches the opener with a simple high-energy instrumental to finish off peacefully; boring and forgettable but is consistent and ends the album with satisfaction Average Score (on objective scale): 3.1 Bonus points given to mood consistency, jazz usage, diversity in genres, innovation, improvisation, and high production. Would fall around 3.5 if giving objective scoring. In the context of this albums on this list, I do weigh my score down by 1 star to help differentiate excellent and (near-)perfect albums, which brings us to a 3.

A kind of wild mish mash of styles and sounds. Probably not something I would revisit

Knocked along ok. Wouldn't want it to reappear from the background too often.

Jazzy and cool. Still might not be something I actually wanna listen to too much but good.

Sounded very 80s and very jazzy, I was surprised I liked it as much as I did. I liked the first half better than the second.

INteresting album. Very 80's with a large dose of Jazz inspired riffs. Interesting that they were named as one of the best bands of 1984 by Billboard and I've never heard a single song on the album.

Yeah, this is fine.

The beginning was nice and I wasn’t really understanding all the negative reviews…and then that rap happened. It was okay, though.

not bad. Jazz new wave.

Pretty fun album. All over the place stylistically but had some enjoyable moments. Other than “Gospel” there weren’t any truly bad songs. I’m glad to have heard it.

I loved this in the 80s and 90s.

Meh-iest meh ever

When I first heard the Style Council shortly after Paul Weller's previous band, The Jam broke up, I was very disappointed. Gone were the Mod-inspired punk rock rhythms and finely crafted pop-rock songs replaced by a cool jazz-style incorporating soul, pop, and funk. I should have suspected that Weller was evolving his sound, moving away from the youthful frantic energy of punk to a more "mature" music that was already evident in some later Jam songs. Cafe Bleu opens with a piano instrumental that sets the tone of the record. Piano lounge jazz replacing Rickenbacker guitars with Waller exploring all kinds of genres, including some kind of rap/Hip Hop fusion on a couple tracks. It's not all bad, but it's surprising and it's hard to believe the front-man/singer/songwriter from the Jam and the Style Council are the same person. Forty years later, my tastes have also evolved and I kind of dig (and understand) some of this album now, but I much prefer anything by The Jam. When I finished listening to the record, I immediately blasted, The Jam's, live compilation, Fire And Skill...oh, sooooo good!

Some background music, but other than the two singles, no memorable tracks at all.

Would be great as background music for a café or a bar. Probably a little boring on its own.

So the frontman of the Jam and the keyboardist from Dexy's Midnight Runners came together for this and produced something that sounds like Simply Red meets Spandau Ballet. Go figure! I like it though.

It was pretty good. Pretty jazzy but overall not my fave

3.5. I liked it, nice and jazzy. Might stick it in the background, and I think I’d appreciate it more if I focus up

this is like. okay: imagine you're me, working at a restaurant that tries a little too hard to act more upscale than it is. like an entree is $22 and the owner is an alcoholic so we have so many different kinds of fancy liquors but the servers are still wearing t-shirts yknow. and it's december 9th. and i'm in charge of the music for the dinner shift. and i'm already at the point where if i hear one more christmas song i will go batshit. but i know the owner will write me up if i don't put on holiday music. so this is what i'll put on. do you understand?

okey groovy al nis posebno

3.5

Pretty good!

Started stronger than it ended

Paul Weller does jazz. Surprisingly well. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: You're The Best Thing Date listened: 08/11/23

Smooth album, although I didn't feel the need to masturbate to it.

There’s a lot of fun to be had here in the jazzier/poppier tracks, but the tone of this album is a bit too inconsistent to keep me holding on the whole way. The softer piano tracks are a bit sleepy, even if the lyrics and talent are there. And I’m not sure where the rap came from. I honestly thought I accidentally put on a different album. But even with all that, it didn’t bother me enough to dislike the project. I’d like to understand a bit more about how this record came to be, and try to understand Weller’s vision. I can sort of see it, but maybe it just wasn’t executed as expected. Trim some of the fat, and this is an easy 4 star.

I liked this even though it was not at all what I was expecting. I swear I've listened to The Style Council before too. Anyway, I'm docking a star for that rap. In the words of the used to be much funnier Dennis Miller, ouch babe. P.S. the rest of the album that directly follows A Gospel (the rap song) is exactly what I was expecting before I listened.

Starter morsomt, litt funky på et vis. Sklir ut i litt intetsigende pop, jeg fikk hvertfall ingen nye favorittlåter.

I thought I turned on the soundtrack for "La La Land" by mistake.

Weird to have this so close to the Haircut 100. This one leans even more into the jazz side of things, at least at first. There’s a wonderful appearance from the always welcome Tracey Thorn, but a misbegotten attempt at rap in the second half sours the whole thing for me. Another shrugworthy record

I liked it more than I thought I might but still not a total convert

I gave this two listens and basically reaffirmed my first opinion. It's not bad, but it's not some hidden gem either. I suspect this is again something that's on the 1001 due to the UK bias and timeframe bias of the author.

This is lovely 3

Chill. Need to give it another listen

Favorite Tracks: Mick's Blessings, The Whole Point Of No Return, Me Ship Came In!, Blue Cafe, The Paris Match, My Ever Changing Moods, Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse

Pretty fun and jazzy. Distinct 80s British sound with some cool jazz.

Fun songs, but wasn't really my vibe

I liked it. Very different than what I normally listen to

3/5

A very interesting listen. A well done jazz/blues kinda album. Its got some ballads that hit well, and it manages to not drag between highlights. The unfortunate part of this album is that, unlike the legend Barry B. Benson, I do not like jazz. This album just lands flat for me.

6.5/10, positively surprised by the jazz

jazzy so far. lets see how it holds up. eh. 3 . some fun ideas but not really an earworm to me.

Smoother than velvet, and just as dated. Must have been a head scratcher for fans of The Jam when this came out - it's not actively bad, just very different and not as good!

Pretty good, if you take away the odd-fitting rap songs.

A nice surprise; interesting album with some cool pieces. I did not know Paul Weller went this way after The Jam. It has a distinct 80's British feel - like George Michael meets Sade meets Howard Jones. Sometimes that was good and sometimes it was bad. The good - Mick's Blessing (nice upbeat kick off to the album), The Whole Point of No Return and My Ever Changing Moods and You're the Best Thing (I recognized the last two but all are nice attempts at soul and good vocals for a guy I thought had limited vocals), Strength of Your Nature (oh so funky and cool), Here's One That Got Away (feels reminiscent of The Jam), and Headstart for Happiness (jazzy feel reminiscent of Chicago). The bad - Blue Cafe (I think I know what they were trying to do in setting a mood but I found it boring), A Gospel (terrible 80's rap), and Council Meetin (again, I get that they're trying to set the mood musically but as an album closeout, I thought it could've been better). More to like than dislike, but not quite a 4. Probably a 3.5.

I liked the jazzy songs, but the album took a weird turn & was all over the place.

Actually really run album, different styles and good grooves

It was fine.

Take away the cheesy instrumental light jazz songs and this is better than decent. My Everchanging Moods and You're the Best Thing are both above average pop songs from the mid-80's. Kill the instrumentals and play up the R&B angle and you have something.

It’s fine.Theres nothing really noteworthy about this album.It’s pleasant enough.Nothing really stands out.

Great album and such a switch for Paul weller from the Jam, the rap song in the middle really lets this album down though and loses it a star, 3 stars should be on the list but won’t be on my regular rotation

Very varied songs, starts of as jazzy but then some rap songs in there which is interesting. At various points the album was 2**/3***, nothing was particularly something that blew me away

Chill music, nothing more to add.

Interesting mix of different genres but besides the novelty and surprise element of this, not much stands out

Really interesting. I didn’t know what to think. Well produced. I like the various vocalists.

Growing up, my father loved Paul Weller, and I really loved The Jam and his combination of spiky but well written lyrics and punky guitars with a funky edge. So this was an odd listen. It's not that it's 'bad' per se. You're the best think and My ever changing mood are gorgeous songs. It's just that it doesn't seem to know what it is. Some of the instrumentals sound like they're designed to be background music on a mid-afternoon property development TV show, but the 'A Gospel' is like very early hip-hop, which is pretty far stylistically from any of Weller's other stuff. I admire musicians who think outside of the box, and it's only the variety that makes this a 3 rather than a 2. Unusual, but not in a way that makes me want to go back to it...

It's a hit and miss for me but mostly (60/40) songs i would expect sitting in a cafe while reading the newspaper.

This does a good, but not great, job at blues, jazz, and rock. I still enjoyed listening to it though and it’s the first time I’ve liked something 100% brand new to me on this website I think

The best Paul Weller album by a country mile. So much more ambition and excitement here than anywhere else in his oeuvre, which otherwise tends to be dead stodgy Brexit rock for dads with bad haircuts.

What an unusual collection of songs - there wasn't particularly a 'theme' through the album, but the songs themselves were okay. 3.5 stars if I could

Stylish. Different to what I expected in places, but with some old familiar tunes in there as well.

The piano medley intro was killer, and I thought with the next 2 songs that this album would be onto something. However, it descended into pop, and while not bad, it kept on going further into the weird soul, RnB borderline appropriation crap. The rap was fitting of the decade, but not fitting of the record vibe. I was really hoping for the them to fit the exposition.

Not what I expected, is it a mess? Kind of, but it's ok.

Ehh not my thing. Again like white guys discovered more genres of music. At least a black person did the rapping. 2.5/5

Hörde talas om The Style Council som Andres Lokkos favoritband. Några dagar senare dyker de upp här. Livet är allt bra förunderligt ibland va!!!!!!!!! Visste ingenting på förhand, men min nyfikenhet växte när jag fick reda på att det var Paul Weller från The Jam som låg bakom detta. Och det börjar bra. Gitarrstrummandet i andra låten, 'The Whole Point of No Return' är orgasmiskt. Sedan följer ett par instrumentala spår innan 'The Paris Match' med Tracey Thorn på sång drar igång. Den låter som en regnig dag på det allra bästa sätt. 'My Ever Changing Moods' också underbar, Wellers känsliga sång och pianot samspelar på en hög nivå. Därefter har albumet lite svårt att välja riktning. Det fortsätter på den inslagna vägen, med jazzig instrumentell vibe innan 'A Gospel' kommer och levererar en sorts old school hiphoplåt? Efter det kommer 'Strength of Your Nature', en snabb synthig dansdänga. Tvära kast. 'You're the Best Thing' är en av deras största hits, men tycker inte det är en av de bästa på albumet. Ganska fin, men något överdrivet smörig. De tre avslutande spåren är fina, men flyter ihop i varandra. Bitvis jättebra album. Vissa låtar mer svåra att ta till sig. Det blir en trea, men potential för att det växer till en fyra efter ytterligare lyssningar finns! Bästa låt: Dött lopp mellan 'The Whole Point of No Return', 'The Paris Match' och 'My Ever Changing Moods'.

Genres: Pop, jazz, soul, new wave, sophisti-pop Formed: 1982 Run time: 13 songs, 43 min, 56 sec This is the debut album released by the band. Despite containing 13 songs, the album is only 43 minutes long. If you’re expecting this album to be a continuation of the Jam, it isn’t. Weller has taken his music in other directions. It’s a good album and easy to listen to. As expected, the songs are well written and well played. The first half is clearly jazz influenced, then the later tracks take a different direction. Track 1, “Mick’s Blessings”, track 4, ”Blue Cafe”, and track 7, "Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse" are all jazz instrumentals. The first two are very short. Track 8, “A Gospel” is a rap song. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it just doesn’t fit with the rest of the album. It does seem to be the dividing point between the halves of the album. Unfortunately, it doesn’t tie the two halves together; it separates them with a fence. Track 10, "You're the Best Thing” is the most popular track on the album, with over 27M plays on Spotify. The least popular is track 9, "Strength of Your Nature" with over 3.4k plays. I like the tracks on an album to have a similar feel or to follow some theme. One curve ball is fine but this album was just too disparate. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

3.1 - "Strength Of Your Nature" is a funk jam reminiscent of Zapp or Prince and "You're The Best Thing" is an adult contemporary love ballad that sounds like Simply Red as interpreted by Mac DeMarco. Both worth a listen. As for the rest, to paraphrase Robert California, an underrated character on the American version of "The Office": "It's jazz for people who don't like jazz. It's rap for people who don't like rap. It's pop for people who don't like pop."

Intéressant mais bien trop déconstruit

PREFS : The Whole Point of No Return, The Paris Match, My Ever Changing Moods, Dropping Bombs on the White House, Here's One That Got Away, Headstart for Happiness MOINS PREF : A Gospel

Honestly forgettable

It's hard to define the album and band style, and I think it is a little messy. However, I enjoyed almost all the songs, which gave me the will to look for more of this sophist-pop stuff.

Café Bleu is the debut album by the English band The Style Council. It's a sophisticated album of pop, jazz, and soul music with a dash of rap that will have you appreciating the little things in life. It was critically acclaimed and may be the band's best work. I love to hear that classic jazz and soul music every once in a while, and this album scratched that itch. It was a fabulous piece of music that I'm glad I had the chance to listen to. Recommended to any other fans of jazz/soul music, but also pop lovers can enjoy this album too.

Pas mauvais, mais rien d'impressionnant. Ça sonnait jazz très accessible, ça manquait de personnalité un peu. 5/10

If I'm rating on Keytar usage alone, it's an easy five. The rest is, for the most part, well written but all over the place. Jazz, 80s white man rap, new wave. I liked some of it but then it would change. Hard to keep up.

Apart from the hits, I'd never listen to anything else by The Style Council. I was half expected it to be more of the same from Weller as The Jam, but no, it's in a totally different direction. Interestingly, (this where I bang on about distribution formats), it's another album of 2 halves. Side A is quite chilled, soulful, like café jazz... with a welcome appearance from Tracey Thorn. Side B, pop ballads, and urgh The Gospel - what was going on with white pop rap in the early 80s? Wham, Blondie - glad that fad ended. I preferred Side A, despite You're The Best Thing is still stuck in my head a day later.

Officiële debuutalbum van de Britse new wave band The Style Council. Een uniek jazzy popalbum met duidelijke jaren 80 invloeden, zowel muzikaal als politiek. Prima album, maar mist een edge. leukste nummer: Here's One That Got Away Album heeft naast de band zelf veel gastmusici gecredit staan, de "Honorary Councillors", waaronder Everything But The Girl.

Pretty decent, upbeat. Would be really boring if not for the variety.

Slick, cool r&b influenced pop. The best tracks are great but as an album it’s a bit too unfocused. Strong 3

Helt trevligt och söt white boy rap.

This is a memorable album for me. Not necessarily because I liked a lot of it, there are songs i don't like at all, but the overall feel of it and how it flowed from different styles really make me sit up and take note.

Hard to say… I liked it somehow but it’s not my style. Bonus points for Paul weller

tunes were good, so long as talky man was quiet

not terrible, but a mix of stuff that I didn't much like, especially the jazzy bits

It's very mixed, a lot of different styles (!) and influences at play. But very well produced

Not really my thing, a few nice tracks

Not at all what I expected but this was a rather nice and chill album. I very much enjoyed the instrumental songs, but once they start singing it kind of ruins the experience as it becomes very much ordinary and even terrible.

Really dug this one I’m definitely gonna need to listen more to appreciate it fully

A very interesting album with a mashup of styles and genres. The tracks range from soulful ballads to upbeat pop songs, but the standout track is undoubtedly "A Gospel", a rap track that tries to incorporate religious themes but falls flat. The delivery is awkward and the lyrics are underwhelming, making for an unenjoyable listening experience. However, the rest of the album is just okay. The instrumentation is solid and the vocals are decent, but the tracks don't necessarily stick with you after the first listen. Overall, worth a listen for fans of The Style Council, but don't expect it to be a standout album on this list.

Not what I expected and changes things up about half way through the album.

I was enjoying parts of this album for sure, but the way it’s jumping all over the place was quite surprising and confusing. Definitely didn’t anticipate the, what like 2 rap tracks in there? So weird lol Saved songs: The Whole Point Of No Return, The Paris Match, My Ever Changing Moods

Pleasant enough

местами красиво, местами фигня какая-то

This album just starts groovy. At first, I was kind of thinking (and hoping) it would be completely instrumental, but was quite happy that a number of the other songs were instrumental. Something I enjoyed was the dichotomy I felt between the beginning instrumental songs and songs with lyrics. Feeling the positives only to be thrown into some more down sounding tunes like 'The Whole Point Of No Return' and 'The Paris Match' kept it interesting. The former of those two was where I first got a glimpse of Paul Weller's old punk/new wave stylings. I thought something apparent was the lack of vocal talent, especially on 'My Ever Changing Moods'. I don't mean to say Weller was a bad singer, but if you compare him to some of the great blues and jazz singers, he's obviously not them. This led to more intrigue on my part than anything because of the feel it gives the song. I checked out the Jam to hear his punk and new wave beginnings and it makes sense. His voice is a little raspy, which fits punk just fine. And I love the raspiness of punk vocalists straining to hit the notes. 'Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse' was great. Again, I felt like that title gets back to punk roots and punk's politically driven material. In this case, just the title. The only part of the album I really disliked was the run of 'A Gospel', 'Strength Of Your Nature', and 'You're The Best Thing'. The first two were just not good songs to me. Plain and simple. I was more disappointed with 'You're The Best Thing' because it had so many plays, until it was pointed out that it was probably played at weddings a lot. That made sense. There was a little synth(?) solo on 'Strength Of Your Nature' that was a redeeming quality, but the song last 2 minutes after that were tough. The end picked it back up to me with those upbeat sounds again. 'Here's One That Got Away' and 'Headstart For Happiness' were easily more enjoyable than 'You're The Best Thing'. I'd dance around to both. And to close, 'Council Meetin'' is an instrumental version of the end credits of anything. A great way to end after jumping in with an instrumental to kick the album off. Can't say I'd listen consistently, but I'd put it on again sometimes probably.

Listened to this album while making dinner. Sophisti-Pop eh? Never heard the term but I think it pairs well with dinner. Really pleasant easy to listen to smoky cruise ship lounge music up until “A Gospel”. From this point the album takes a turn. Such a strange choice to make this switch. “A Gospel” is a little bit cringey BUT I’ll give it a pass for having some pretty slick instrumentals. Then we move into “Strength of Your Nature” which is another song that seems so out of place on this record. It’s like they wanted to make this Ray Parker Jr. cheesy 80s album but decided to throw in some jazz into the mix. I will say, once again, Strength has plenty of fun shit going on to make it stand out to me. The little vocal bits, the funky guitar, the funky synths. “You’re the Best Thing” was definitely someone’s wedding song. “Headstart for Happiness” is a fun little number but yet again, I am reminded of a wedding band (a really really good wedding band) playing for drunk wedding guests. I’m stealing my friend Max’s line here, Council Meetin’ is straight up end credits music. All in all. Good album. Had fun. It took a serious turn at “A Gospel” that made it feel a little disjointed to me in terms of a “vision” but regardless of that it was a good spin.

Nothing special.

I like the instrumental tracks, but don't think Paul Weller's vocals did this any justice.

Is this the music they play in the theater before the movie starts? I liked the especially bluesy tracks.

Quite the jarring tonal shift from coffeehouse jazz on side one to delirious 80s synth pop on side two.

It mostly blended into the background.

This was not what I expected; it was ok, nothing special

It's interesting, but feels a bit random. Got fully instrumental bluesy bits, got solo vocals and duo. Saved tracks: Me Ship Came In!, My Ever Changing Moods, Headstart For Happiness

"I listen to grown-up music!"- Peppa Pig on UK sophisti-pop in the early 1980's HL: "The Paris Match", "Headstart for Happiness", "Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse", "The Whole Point of No Return" December 16, 2022

Overall this album was fine but very frontloaded. This album had very strange sequencing. This album goes from mediocre 80s pop to instrumental jazz to more mediocre 80s pop to rap then finishes with some more mediocre 80s pop. I still enjoyed this album more than I probably should've though. 6.5/10

Jazzy and snazzy! This was a really fun listen, and it really oozed Sophisti-pop. I've never listened to The Style Council before, and I enjoyed this album. There were definitely some odd tracks on here that felt like they didn't fit, but overall, this was a pretty solid album.

Good musicians! Boppy but forgettable. I have a hard time coming up with highlight tracks when I sit down to write this.

I didn't know this band. Cool music.

This is a brave LP, with its mixed bag of jazz, funk and soul, not quite a U-turn for Paul Weller, since The Jam was moving toward a more R&B sound on their final album. “My Ever-Changing Moods” would have been a good title track, since there’s no shortage of variety, as songs jump from one genre to another. I like the straight-up, swinging jazz tunes like “My Ship Came In” and ballads like the title track and “Paris Match”. They sound less convincing with funk. The arrangements are good but the song-writing and chanty choruses don’t appeal to me.

One of the most eclectic albums I've ever listened to. Wasn't "good" by any means but maybe it's on this list because it's so unusual.

Another repeat from the dozen or so I listened to before starting a group - I quite enjoyed it at the time and it was a notable contrast to the music by Weller I was familiar with, but I also really didn't feel any desire to relisten to this even though it was nearly a year now since the first go through, which I guess says something about the album... idk, not enough for me to drop it to a 2, let's keep the rating as it was

3.5/5. First time hearing the whole album. A couple classics and the reat are really good.

Really interesting eclectic mix of styles. I didn't realize that this was Paul Weller of The Jam before. I definitely like some tracks more than others but overall a cool listen.

Was expecting a rock album, instead got a jazz-blues pop fusion. Very soulful. A couple of really solid stripped down ballads. Definitely can tell it was made when it was. A gospel was a hip hop song also. Interesting. For some reason it went with the album too. Probably wouldn’t come back to this album to play any specific song but it’s a good album nonetheless.

What even is this? This sounds like Nurse With Wound's Huffin' Rag Blues, but minus all the experimentation and humor. It's just a cavalcade of jazz vomit. Nothing sounds terrible, but it's like AI-generated art. The closer you look at it, the more it just reveals itself to be nothing.

Cool piano forward jazz-pop stylings. A Gospel is fucking bullshit. Here's One That Got Away is very Goo Goo Dolls.

Very schizophrenic album. They should have stayed with the jazz tunes, I felt they did those best

very interesting album, some of the music was fun & jazzy & made me feel like i was sitting in a cafe, some of it was up beat & poppy, i enjoyed it all

So weird.. it sounded like many different albums of completely different genres mixed together.. Something was amazing (instrumental jazz), something was annoying (rap??).. mah

you can see the Weller was enjoying the freedom to do what he wanted. Bit all over the place but some great tracks on here

A bit boring imo

Bland and inoffensive. Can't even muster up the interest to give it a shit score. 3/5.

Halfway through I thought it had skipped to a different album but no, ‘twas still The Style Council. Clearly I had different ideas as to what they’re music sounded like.

Je n'étais plus certain à un moment de ce que j'écoutais. Ca va dans tout les sens et c'est difficile à suivre des fois. Les chansons sont quand même très bien faite et elles on toutes un petits quelques choses à leur facon dans tous les styles représentés dans cettealbum. 3.5

I like the slow chill tracks

First half was great jazz, second half was old school hip hop and new wave 80s pop. Both good, but the transition is very abrupt.

It's jolly difficult to believe from the first couple of tracks that this is Paul Weller. There's some nice easy listening - and imagine my surprise on hearing track 3 and discovering that this is where Louie Austen's "One night in Rio" comes from. Unfortunately, the album doesn't stay that way and it drops into the more expected synthy type affair. As other reviews have noted - Paul Weller should not rap.

A mix of blue-eyed soul, jazz and modern influences (for the time) made this a more sophisticated, progressive pop album. (6/10) FT: You're the Best Thing, My Ever Changing Moods

I have mixed feelings about this album. It is incredibly ambitious and features a wide range of genres including jazz, soul, new wave, and even rap. The lyrics reflect economic anxiety and are very pro working class. However, I’m not convinced that the mix of genres succeeds. The more jazzy moments work well, even if they’re not terribly innovative, but other moments are jarring and seem to be thrown in just for variety’s sake.

MOR lounge pop that you would hear as background Muzak at a restaurant but done good

I mean I’ve never been that crazy on Paul Weller or anything he’s been in but I don’t know it might be good… The album opens with Mick’s blessings, eh just a piano instrumental. Then is the whole point of no return it’s alright just some nice but dull slow jam with no real bang to it. Me ship came in is filled with lots of like clapping noises throughout the song which are alright, again it’s fairly mellow but not as bad as the others I guess even if it’s just an instrumental. Blue cafe is yet another instrumental this time a rather heavenly guitar based thing It’s alright but instrumental tracks are never really my kinda thing. The Paris match is the second song that’s non instrumental this time it’s female sung which works with the kinda relaxed lounge feel of the song and album yeah it’s alright. My ever Changing moods is a non instrumental song it’s probably the only one that’s genuinely satisfied me in the slightest to be honest as most of this album is rather dull. Ending side one is dropping bombs in the whitehouse a stupidly placed song as it’s the only one with any real energy in the whole album so far. It’s alright though just a long energetic instrumental. A gospel at the start of side two is really different though a more funk/ hip hop based track great bassline it’s not my kinda thing but it’s a good surprise. Strength of nature is another change it’s annoying though just so repetitive ( with only 2 lines being sung for most of the song) and after the four minutes it’s rewarding to pass this. You’re the best thing is the biggest song on the album ( not one I recognise though) it’s decent serves as a nice break from the weirdness of side 2 . Here’s one that got away goes for a more “pubby” sound it’s only short but It’s decent. Headstart for happiness is quite fun though a nice pop rock track just nothing much notable. The album ends with council meeting its a short but entertaining instrumental not a favourite but not dreadful. The thing is side one was as dull as dishwater and then side two while tried quite a few of the ideas failed in my eyes so I have to give it a very low 3.

Yeah, OK, uh-huh.

A little something for everyone.

Interesting mix of jazz and new wave…with a random hip hop song mixed in?? Each song was quite different which I appreciated, and it was mostly engaging. “My Ever Changing Moods” was familiar. I enjoyed it but probably wouldn’t listen again.

-A totally groovin' riff opens up and continues through "Mick's Blessings" -some violent genre changes between "A Gospel," "Strength of Your Nature," and "You're The Best Thing" -Hinestly the instrumental songs ("Mick's Blessings," "Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse," and "Council Meetin'") were the best songs. They had solid jams. The rest of the tracks didn't really keep up the energy

Didn't feel like anything special. I didn't hate it or love it. It just is.

This is..fine? Weird collection of stuff. One of those albums that reminds me this is some random British guy’s list

Coming to a hotel lobby near you. Fave: The Paris Match for the Tracey Thorn vocals.

Ce qui est amusant avec cet album est qu'après avoir démarré par une ambiance jazz, les Style Council se sont vite orientés vers de l'ultra-sexual-soul, n'arrivant évidemment qu'au quart de la cheville du maître de la discipline, j'ai nommé l'incontestable Marvin Gaye.

Les chancelliers du style auront tout tenté sur cet album, passant de Willie Nelson à Ice Cube, mais le point qui nous intéressera le plus sera la dixième piste de l'album. Sur cette chanson, les chancelliers vont s'essayer à l'ultra-sexual soul. Mais qu'est ce que l'ultra sexual soul? Si l'on s'arrête sur la page wikipédia de ce genre musical, voici ce que nous trouvons: "L'ultra sexual soul est un genre musical popularisé par Marvin Gaye, dans lequel l'artiste cherche à se présenter de la manière la plus sexuelle possible." Le pari est pris, mais ne parvient malheureusement pas à nous convaincre, l'image de Marvin Gaye flottant au dessus de la chanson. Une prise de risque que l'on salue néammoins.

I thought I would hate this, but I really didn't. It was pretty crisp "studio jazz" - which is okay in my book. But, it also encompassed a lot of what made the 80s the 80s (for better or worse). This guy has the stereotypical new wave vocals down, and they even through in a little hip-hop. I'm fine with all of it.

Allegaartje van genres: jazz, hiphop, funky... Leuk om te luisteren, maar niet super

The album was alright. It was a mixture of jazz and pop. The jazz wasn't that good. It is better than a 2 but not quite a 3. However, I will round up because I did not skip any of the songs.

Perhaps this was instrumental in that quintessential 80s sound but it just sounded like generic 80s music to me.

Alright, not bad, not my favorite.

Uma loucura.

A mix of Austin Powers, Peter Frampton, Ian Raymond from High Fidelity and much more. This album is like a Jackson Pollock painting, all over the place.

First song was the best, the rest were okay

This was an interesting one. I like The Jam and I like Paul Weller... and I somehow had no idea this entire project existed. It was a fun record (though A Gospel was realllly bad). I don't think I'd revisit the whole thing but there were some good songs and it was a nice one to discover

Good jazzy album

Jazz I think? It was all over stylistically.

It was ok. Insite that I would go back

Very eclectic album. Some jazzy beats, and some more upbeat bops as well

5/10

loved Mick's Blessings probably my favourite of them all so far

Listened to this while on a road trip, the jazzy compositions made for a great distraction from the monotony of road noise. Vocals seemed unnecessary, the instrumentals are where this album really shined. Cafe Bleu deserves to be on a road trip rotation, if not also remarkably appropriate for background music.

So ecclectic

5/10

A bit weird but enjoyable overall.

I’d like a 4 but meanders a bit too much Some great tunes and great playing

Interestingly different

1984. The Whole Point Of No Return, You're The Best Thing

A lot of variety on this, which was interesting. I liked the instrumental jazz a lot, but the hip hop styled track was pretty bad. I didn’t like the male vocal performance, it sounded very affected. Overall nice to listen to, I probably won’t revisit it though 6/10

6/10. Not especially memorable, but sounded pleasant throughout. Possibly one to visit and to revise scoring on in the future.

Half of this album is a solid 4. But overall, I'm giving it a 3/5.

Bit jazzier than I’d hoped for…. I like all the stuff I’d heard previously so I’m a bit disappointed by this long player. Not too bad though.

Gaaanz schlechte 3. Paul Weller ist aber ein guter.

Good album. Interesting. Best songs: Paris Match, A Gospel, My Ever Changing World, You're the Best Thing.

// Favs: – Score: Decent 3

- nice enough vibes, oddly out of period - accessible, diverse jazz - strong musicianship, no band ~sound~ though - less said about A Gospel the better.

Seemed like they tried to be decent at about 9 different genres of music rather than excel in one genre.

Slow jazz Relaxing 3.5/4

This album was kind of all over the place but I enjoyed it. Favourite track was My Ever Changing Moods.

Instrumental for the most part. Jazzy and fun. Like it.

I found it a rather average album I didn’t hate the album but didn’t love it and none of the songs really stood out

Liked A Gospel on more than the first half

cool

This album is interesting. Half of it is like if Ben Folds Five made a jazz album and half of it is intricate new wave pop. Pretty cool overall.

A kind of Girl from Ipanema vibe

I enjoy listening to this but I'm not that crazy about it. It's got lots of really nice parts and is fun in places. On one hand it's got variety but on the other hand it's a bit inconsistent so difficult to review, but it's mostly jazzy and bluesy numbers. Favourites are "The Paris Match" and "You're The Best Thing".

A bit boring, innit.

acoustic guitar sets, plus catchy pop tunes with a rap tune also. good listen.

Best tof. Beetje alle kanten op qua stijl, maar dat stoorde niet.

Pretty good until the ‘rap’ but I guess it was the 80’s rap was a new thing then. 3><4

Some great tracks. And Weller determined to do his own thing. Some shite too tbf.

I thought this album was really fun, I was instantly on board. It made me dance about and I felt a longing for gigs and clubs and accidentally knocking drinks out of strangers hands. There was one love song that was a bit slower which killed that vibe for me a bit. But I guess the variety of the album was kind of why I liked it so maybe I've gotta accept that as part of that.

Rítmico. Variado. Muy de piano. Buenas voces

Great album for a Sunday morning. Heavy on the instrumentals. A Gospel was a bit unexpected.

Surprising! Generally dislike ol' Weller but this was much better. Clearly should have quit while he was ahead

Hmmm, a weird one - I quite liked the slightly jazzy easy listening of the beginning of the album (that apparently maps exactly to the A side of the vinyl) but was much less keen on the more upbeat poppier B side. Especially "A Gospel", which was cringingly bad. Fave track - "My Ever Changing Moods" - makes sense that was a successful single!

Though i'm a huge paul weller fan and there is some cool, soulful lounge act music in here (with a few amazing songs)... there is also enough embarrassing lounge rap that it's hard to enjoy the whole album.

jazz baby

This is fun and unexpected. How many times is Paul Weller going to show up on this list?? And quite differently each time. The album really goes downhill for me though as it fractures into different genres - was hoping it would stay in that strange clowny jazz realm they started in.

Chill and jazzy. Definitely some easy listening.

Jazzy, soulful, not bad not bad. Was a bit repetitive to me but everything sounds that way when i'm not concentrating on the music

First thing from this list that I actually hadn't heard of before. After reading descriptions online I guess I was expecting something like a Billy Bragg-esque folk rock, which it is definitely not. Interesting and another one that merits revisiting. The rap delivery section in one of the latter half songs has not aged well.

Pretty nice, more soul than you usually find in new wave

This album is genre-bending at best, or completely different genres at worst. Jazzy, but then you have songs like "A Gospel" which are basically Hip-Hop, then it goes into "Strength of Nature" which is... new wave? I think I like the instrumental jazz pieces the most, the vocals don't add a ton for me.

Way better than I expected, really enjoyed it at some parts and would definitely list to it again.

That was good fun.

pretty decent - paul weller has a big range of styles

It was alright. Relaxing and chill.

A very wild mix of music, from old school rap, to jazz, to pop stuff. Some nice tunes, in particular "The Whole Point of No Return".

Meh

Great variety, variable quality

Muutama hieno juttu mutta levynä kovin poukkoileva. Pystyi kuuntelmaan ilman vitutusta.

Blandet landhandel, pop, soul, jazz, rap, sangskrivning, fængende

The guitar on the self titled track was tight. The other tracks were cool too but that specifically stuck out

The word to describe this is, without a doubt, "fun". One part of me wants to immediately queue it up again, another wants to find something to complain about. I certainly don't think it's too busy, too cheesy, or forgettable. Perhaps it's slightly less musical sophisticated than other albums on this list. One of the most body-activating listens, though. Certainly a strong album at its rating, and I might be underselling it.

Mick's blessings - 3 The whole point of no return - 2 Me ship came in! - 2 Blue cafe - 3 The paris match - 3 My ever changing moods - 2 Dropping bombs on the whitehouse - 3 A gospel - 2 Strength of your nature - 2 You're the best thing - 2 Here's one that got away - 3 Headstart for happiness - 2 Council meeting - 2

Mick’s Blessing - 2.5/5 The Whole Point Of No Return - 2/5 Me Ship Came In! - 2/5 Blue Cafe - 3/5 The Paris Match - 2/5 My Ever Changing Moods - 1.5/5 Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse - 2/5 A Gospel - 1.5/5 Strength Of Your Nature - 1/5 You’re The Best Thing - 2/5 Here’s One That Got Away - 2/5 Headstart For Happiness - 2/5 Council Meetin’ - 1/5

Previously unknown. Sort of all over the place.

On the one hand, jazzy piano with some blues sprinkled in is nice. But on the other hand, putting this on when a friend is around sounds kind of cringe and like a tap dance performance is about to break out.

Jazzy

Cool jazz is not what I expected next from The Jam’s Paul Weller. Liked it much more than I expected but unlikely to return to it.

Pretentious

What an array. I enjoyed the first two tracks, but it fell off.

wrong style council album for the list

Couple decent songs but a bit all over the place

This is a messy album. You’ve got to admire Weller’s gumption for moving completely away from what made him famous but the results are spotty, and it hasn’t aged well. There are some good points - You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened is lovely, and Here’s The One That Got Away is a pleasing discovery - but they’re too few and unfortunately hidden towards the end, when the damage has already been done

The instrumentals were good but the style changed a bit wildly at times.

Never fell into the Paul Weller camp....although i do like some Style Council stuff. This i do not like.

I loved The Jam. I badly wanted to love The Style Council too. But although they did have some good songs somehow they were just too…mannered and stiff for me.

Weird how the first half is so much different than the second. It’s all over the place! Apparently it was a way for Paul to branch out from Jam, so I guess it makes sense, but not cohesive at all.

Boring lounge music, something you would listen in a random supermarket or mall that is not so popular.

yeah nothing special

I’m not sure have I heard this before or does this sound familiar due to all relatives of this album. Nothing bad on this album, flows nicely, style is mostly there but still Cafe Bleu sounds slightly soulless. Despite of this I might listen this again

#412 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ Familiar names behind this group, combining soul and jazz to it's pop music. I'd never heard the term sophisti-pop before, but I see why it was coined. It all smells a bit pretentious to me, but maybe that's just their ambition to make top quality pop music. Who knows, I don't care enough to dive deeper. The old school hiphop bits are very awkward, I don't enjoy the folkey parts either as they sound so much like Dexy's Midnight Runners that it's borderline copycat. I don't hate it, but at times it does get a bit of a chore to listen to. See-sawing between 2 and 3/5

It was okay, I didn't hate it, but honestly I barely even remember it and I listened a day ago.

I read the artist and title and thought nothing of note. Then I saw the release date of 1984 and thought, why don’t I remember this? I was 14 years old and couldn’t get enough rock and pop music (and even country). So what happened here? Oh yeah, the Style Council never were that big in the US. Listening to it now, I guess it didn’t have the sound for US mainstream radio and MTV (although I think I probably saw a video or two of theirs). It may have been too jazzy, or it lacked the glittery synth pop sound that permeated American music of that era. I like what I’m hearing, yet it’s not immediately obvious why it’s on this list. It wouldn’t be out of place at the junior prom, but beyond that, I fail to see the importance of the record compared to the 1088 other records on the list. Oh, A Gospel is an absolute travesty. Early hip hop? NO.. The track lost the album an entire star. 2 stars

This ain't it Paul, sorry dude.

A mixture of jazz and new wave sounds really cool on paper but this was such a snoozefest. The instrumentation and vocals were extremely bland. No dynamic variation, no pace changing. Flat throughout

Eh

80er für mich

This was just weird, like a personality disorder.

Was a nice and chill album, nothing really spiked my interest on it though

I was about to give this album a 1, but the simple cheeriness of "Council Meetin'" stopped me in my tracks. The instrumental reminded me of another song, but I don't know its name (like a MGMT song or some 2010s summer indie pop).* Council Meetin' melted my Grinch heart, but not enough to warrant an album relisten. I liked individual tracks ('The Paris Match', 'My Ever Changing Moods'), but the whole album felt disjointed- it sounded more like a rough playlist instead of an album to me. Like that one dork who reviewed the Black Keys 'Brothers', goodbye forever The Style Council. * I found it. It reminded me of Peter Bjorn And John - Young Folks (never knew the name of that song until now).

i spent my whole drive thinking about what to say for this one. i guess it's cool that they really tried to do it all here? shame none of it really worked out. some cool riffs i guess. the only two songs i skipped were "you're the best thing," which i learned was one of the more popular songs, and "a gospel." not sure why either of those are enjoyed by anyone. i did, however, like "here's one that got away" well enough

I like Paul Weller but I had some mixed feelings about this one. I might have to relisten to really decide but here’s my placeholder vote. It’s a high 2.

This one was all over the place. Multiple genres without a thread. My Ever Changing Moods was the only song that was halfway decent, and I could go along with the TV theme song sounds from the first part of the album, but the silly attempt at rapping in A Gospel was really unforgivable. Headstart for Happiness was just annoying. Still, this is not among the worst I've heard on this list.

I thought I understood the vibe of this album, then they started rapping the whitest rap and I was completely lost. I guess that it’s really ambitious and it does have a couple good songs, but I’ve seen this type of album done better and without giving me whiplash

Certainly a bit different for 1984. Interesting all the same. High 2s

There's a few songs on here which are fun enough, which is why I'm not giving Cafe Bleu 1. Because, my God, some parts are jaw clenchingly cringey.

Wasn’t expecting jazz. Not really my jazz though

Ñe

Paul Weller gets bored being one of the most feted songwriters England has produced by ditching The Jam and forming... this weird attempt of bad Sade, bad Wham ballads, bad whitest of the white rap, bad gay disco, bad coffee shop jazz, just bad everything. This album has no idea what it wants to be and leaves me wondering what the fuck was Weller doing? No point in its being on this list. Best Tracks: Mick's Blessing; My Ever Changing Moods; Headstart For Happiness

On the phone to get my Internet fixed: 5/5 Any other time: 2/5

I couldn't quite figure out what this album was trying to do with the instrumentals, smooth R&B voice, rapping??, etc. It kept you on your toes, but don't think I'd ever revisit. You're the Best Thing stood out. 2.5/5.

They really just needed to pick a lane. None of this was terrible, but it was all over the place with the styles. I didn't know what I was listening to.

Admittedly I was listening to this during work as background music, but the only moments that stood out to me were not because they were enjoyable.

Started out kind of promising, but it went downhill so fast. Cheese 80s jazz. The rap tune is truly horrific.

I really enjoyed this, but it was so confusing?!

I've never particularly liked Paul Weller and I have no real reasoning for that, just a gut feeling, although I'll admit that The Jam had a handful of good tunes. I've heard You're the Best Thing previously but had no idea it was Weller and to be honest, this wasn't really what I was expecting and seemed a bit of a mish-mash, all over the place stylistically, unsure of what it wants to be. I won't be returning

🫤

That opening track really got my hopes up, then subsequent songs i actively thought were a joke (jurys still out) but i did appreciate the variability and the instrumental songs were all v enjoyable. Evens out to a solid ok, feels like a real 2.5 but alas.

I literally fell asleep while listening to this (is that my fault or the album’s fault: unclear).

Profoundly disappointing (especially the first half) and even moreso when I found out it was Paul Weller behind it. Way too cocktail lounge-y for my liking. Brief uptick some of the songs towards the end but not enough. My dad said there were some great (better) additional songs on the 3 hour version of the album and that’s probably true but am I allowed to listen to them?

for fucks sake Weller, what happened?

From the get go I had some bosses with this, as I'm not a Paul Weller fan. A couple of songs here I knew, and we're ok. Very eclectic, but didn't really know where it wanted to go or what it wanted to be. Just typical Weller Wankery tbh

2:5

This is quite the ride. There are times where it has a very jazz, almost lounge style of sound, then there are times of funk influences, dance, R&B, and even some kind of corny pop elements. It's very varied, but not in a bad way. It's just a little all over the place, but none of it is bad. I just don't feel like any of it is executed well enough to make me come back to it.

Palatable jazz for those who don't understand jazz. Inoffensive rap for those who are scared of rap. Hookless pop built for those who prefer soft rock radio. An entire album by musicians who know how to build songs but aren't good at writing them.

++: Mick's Blessings, Blue Café, The Paris Match, Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse, Here's One That Got Away +: Me Ship Came In!, My Ever Changing Moods, You're the Best Thing, Council Meetin' +-: The Whole Point of No Return, A Gospel, Strength of Your Nature, Headstart for Happiness 5,2/10

65

Eh no thanks

Lots of variety, interesting album but sort of a jack of all trades, master of none thing going on for me. The hip-hop track was an insane pivot, lots of respect for that. Favorite Tracks: The Paris Match, My Ever Changing Minds, A Gospel, You're The Best Thing

This is all over the place, and I can't really latch onto any of it.

While it has a few moments of achievement, this is mostly jazzy in ALL THE WRONG WAYS! Post-Jam Weller just KEEPS disappointing me. This is mostly over-produced adult contemporary schlock. Some very '80s sounding pop-funk that really falls flat on here too. The inclusion of a token "rap" track is a wild choice. Unfortunately pretty common in this era of music.

A weird hodgepodge of songs that seemed to have little connection to one another

Impressively annoying across multiple styles.

The first half was relatively harmless but then wow, look out, because the back half was terrible. I don't really know who Paul Weller is and at this point I'm afraid to ask.

Started off decent and got progressively worse. I liked the jazzy instrumental songs, but most of the songs with singing were not good. Especially when there was rapping, that was hard to listen to.

It was a bit all over the place. Nothing really to my taste.

I don't think this one is for me. 2 stars.

I liked it when they didn't sing

What the heck

I think it is my fault. Half way through the seventh song I couldn't take the guys vocals anymore. So I grabbed this old monkey's paw I have in my desk and I asked it to give me respite from the singing. Then song eight came on.

Not my cup of tea

This album felt like it didn’t really know what it was trying to be. Ultimately just felt a bit disjointed and slightly messy.

Oh Paul, what have you done? Major cringe on some of these songs

I can only imagine the uproar from The Jam fans when this was put out. Probably similar to when Radiohead lobbed out Kid A. Anyway, this to me just sounds like easy listening/smooth vibe across a variety of genres that just don’t float my boat. The rap was probably the best song, but purely because it stood out. Oh well.

Ikke for mæ. Hadde ikke blidd sur om æ hørte det et sted, men æ vil ikke aktivt høre på det.

Jazz pop rock. It's ok. Not my style. 2.5/5.

In no way should you feel like you need to listen to this album. I’m left with the question “what was that?” and if I had to answer my own question, the only words I can come up with are scattered and mundane. This album attempts to cover a few genres, some more contemporary than others, seemingly at random. None of it is done well enough for me to hold onto anything. A strange inclusion 2/5

…And yet another outing of British lads unabashedly copying from various styles (Bossa, Jazz, Funk, Soul, …) from all over the world, and the press going nuts about it. Euphemistically calling it Blue-Eyed Soul. In this instance, the apt way of cataloguing would be “copycats doing what myriads did better”. Then again, the „originals“ didn’t wear trench coats and hang out pretentiously in Paris cafés while making their music. So naturally the press lost its mind over The Style Council. Some even called it “progressive pop”, as if Paul Weller had somehow invented or meaningfully expanded these genres - which he plainly did not. a blatant case of cultural appropriation masquerading as music journalism. It’s nothing but an imitation game from start to finish - plus an atrocious take on hip hop. Yet journalists loved it, probably helped along by the fact that the creators were British and white. Can’t blame Weller though, he was just vibing with great sounds and apparently having a good time, but it’s oh so unsatisfying that this record gets praise for… well, for what exactly? Well, My Ever Changing Moods is a great song. + 1 for that one.

Dette var pinlige greier. A-siden er i det minste såpass intetsigende at man kan ignorere det, men B-siden... herreminhatt.