Album Of The Day

In order to get out of a jam, you have to have a style council. On Cafe Bleu, Paul Weller and his admirably ambitious group stumble upon any genre that suits their fancy, from muted jazz to hip-hop and all sorts of pop in between, and mostly succeed on their own merits. It can be a bit surprising and a tad overwhelming if there was only one thing to expected just to be bombarded with another, yet The Style Council prove that they cannot be pigeonholed into any one entity. Favorites: The Whole Point of No Return, Me Ship Came In!, The Paris March, My Ever Changing Moods, Dropping Bombs on the White House, A Gospel, Strength of Your Nature, You're the Best Thing.

impressive, diverse and good album, definitely underrated on this project

Meh

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

This album didn’t stand out in any way one star

catchy but not much special

It started out pretty interesting with an instrumental followed by smooth tracks with vocals, but then it turned out to be little too mixed up with a random rap song. It just didn‘t fit in imo.

This is the kind of music you hear at the dentist. You find yourself wondering, “was this music made just for the dentist?” Boring

I liked a lot of this album, but it seemed a little non-cohesive.

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.

A fun and interesting change of pace. It's not the greatest thing in the world, but I enjoyed listening to it.

The opening track really surprised me. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that and I was really excited for the rest...then the rest showed up and, well, there was a bright spot here and there, but overall it let me down a bit.

This eclectic collection of tunes was a pleasant surprise. If I'd stopped at one listen, it might've been a 5-star rating. But the second listen rubbed off a bit of its luster --- without my low expectations, it was clearly not really something I'll return to much.

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.

Punchy, fun, dynamic, just a solid as hell album.

I was not prepared for the rapping.

Gillar Style Council. Denna platta saknar kanske deras bästa låtar men den är bra ändå.

Thought I was going to enjoy this a lot more than I did from the first couple of tracks. Enjoyed the jazzy instrumental tracks. Did not enjoy the cheesy, generic 80s tracks.

A bit all over, sometimes strong boyband vibes

Stylish

Fairly easy but unremarkable listen. 'You're the best thing' saves this album.

If Paul Weller's goal was simply to make something that didn't sound like The Jam, mission accomplished. It's a little harder to pin down any secondary goal for this album. It's certainly eclectic, which I normally don't mind, but the styles feel fairly disjointed here. 'Cafe Beau' is firmly rooted in the Sophistipop style that had it's moment in the 80s. By that measure, it's probably the most impressive thing I've heard from that genre. It's ambitious and some of the instrumentals are pretty fun. But Sophistipop is just not for me. Then we get to the second half, which is full of 80s white guy rap. That's about as cringeworthy as you'd expect, though the music is actually a bit better than the first side. I can hardly call this the best of Paul Weller.

kind of a one hit wonder for me, my ever changing moods single version (not on this album) is good

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.

Barf.

What a different album unlike most things I’ve heard. 8/10

Very strange album, 3 or 4 distinct sounds that do not mesh well. Some good tracks lift it. The rapping is unforgivable

Прикольный, понравилось. Первая половина очень понравилась, вторая уже меньше, но всё равно хорошо.

This band and album is ridiculous. Very whimsical seemingly just for the sake of being whimsy. I feel it's inclusion on this list is completely unnecessary and unwarranted. I guess it's fine, but who cares?

This is perfectly inoffensive, I wasn’t sitting there like “OH GOD TURN IT OFF!” But the entire time I was just thinking yeah this is fine I guess. This sounds like music. But the albums from this list are from a book called “1001 albums to listen to before you die” or something, and I don’t know that I NEEDED to listen to this before I die. Idk maybe one day I’ll learn that I did. But I don’t think this music will impact me in any grander scale. It was fine. But fine is just fine.

patrick bateman-ass band. there’s just a lot of effete jazzy instrumentation and sometimes they forget about writing any decent hooks. a gospel having white boy rapping almost sent me into total despair. at its worst makes steely dan look like gg allin. there’s a couple good songs and it picks up a bit towards the end but this was a real like-hate album for me.

café merde

The random switch from jazz to a funk/hip-hop thing halfway through was a bit jarring, but the whole thing was still really solid and didn't miss, outside of maybe that weird rapping section

Interesting album! Every song was quite different from the other with the unexpected turn of 'A Gospel' on the B-side, and I really like the mood it set. Feels like a perfect thing to put on in the background whole working, or having dinner, for example. 'My Ever Changing Moods' stood out as one of the better songs. In general I was missing some stronger songs, but I really enjoyed the whole album. Realistically it should probably be a 3, but I really dug the album for some reason, so I'll give it a weak 4.

Side 1 was a clear four star. Long time since I found something completely new (to me) that sounded so good. An interesting mix of styles and songs. "My Ever Changing Moods" was a really good song. Side 2 was a different story. The first two tracks were really bad, with a bad rap track and an equally bad funk track ("A Gospel" and "Strength of Nature"). It recovered a bit towards the end to being decent with "Here's One That Got Away" being the best track of side 2. Side 1 gets a clear 4 and side 2 a weak 3. Giving it a 4 still.

Was surprised by how eclectic this was but not for me.

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

5/5 - how have I not come across this before?!

Every song was good but I found the Male vocals a little karaoke than professional. Hard to put above a 3 with how non cohesive the album is overall But I like how the back half of the album just pretends the middle didn’t happen.

Just a weird mix of stuff on this one. I think if it was all filtered into individual genres it would land better, as it is it was too whiplashy. I did like pretty much all the individual songs though which earns a decent rating.

Really enjoyed this album. The variety of the song genres are refreshing. Album sleeve... boring as, i have to take a star for that.

I guess it is alright? I didn't find it patriculary interesting but didn't find it bad.

This is a strange mixture of everything. I was positively surprised after the first half of the album, but when A Gospel hit, I was not impressed with that and the rest of the album - in general, the album is just too many genres to cope with at once.

This was a nice little surprise. Probably a tad generic but I do love some soulful jazz from time to time. This had a little bit more of a rockin' feel to it as well which is maybe why I liked it a bit more.

Well, there have to be some albums I hate and this is one of them. I think this is my first one star album. Who thought it would be fun to have an album with lounge music mixed with Ska music mixed with jazz and then throw in a song with a fiddle reminiscent of country music and oh wait you aren't confused enough? Here's an awful rap! It's a mess. It's a bloody mess. Some of the jazz is... OK. I especially liked the title of Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse, but the jazz in that does not match that title very well. All I can say is it's a mess and I didn't like it.

it was ok but why did he start rapping

Not bad, but I definitely prefer The Jam.

This one and the other Style Council album which came out the following year, seem to suffer from similar issues. Absolutely no consistency with songs that don't feel convincing to me. A positive for the amount of ground covered, but very little lands in a solid way.

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)

This is fine, I guess. 2.5 for effort? It’s ultimately nothing special/nothing hundreds of others haven’t done better

Inoffensive

…… eh…………. 💀😔

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.

Not as awful as I expected

nice

4 meritate! Se non 5

Pleasant

Strength of your nature is a jam.

cool clothes on cover wack ass music within

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 ⭐️

Mick's Blessings - 3 The Whole Point of No Return - 4 Me Ship Came In! - 3.5 Blue Cafe - 3.5 The Paris Match- 3.75 My Ever Changing Moods - 3.5 Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse - 3.5 A Gospel - 3.75 Strength of Your Nature - 4 You're the Best Thing - 3 Here's One that Got Away - 3 Headstart for Happiness - 4 Council Meeting - 3.5 Probably a 3.75, but we can't do it so I'm giving them some credit. 4/5. Actually different and fairly enjoyable, most of the way through.

06/19/24 S Tier—————————5 Mick’s Blessing Me Ship Came In! You’re The Best Thing A Tier—————————4 The Whole Point of No Return Blue Cafe Headstart for Happiness The Paris Match Strength of Your Nature Here’s The One That Got Away My Ever Changing Moods A Gospel Dropping Bombs On The Whitehouse Council Meetin B Tier—————————3 C Tier—————————2 D Tier—————————1

Cafe Bleu by The Style Council Wednesday 6/19/24 10:31 S Tier————————— Mick’s Blessing The Paris Match A Tier————————— Me Ship Came In! Here’s One That Got Away Dropping Bombs Blue Cafe B Tier————————— Council Meeting My Ever Changing Mood The Whole Point of No Return Strength of Your Nature C Tier————————— Headstart For Happiness You’re The Best Thing A Gospel

It’s chill. It’s ok, won’t listen again but it’s chill in a funky way.

Interesting. Kind of all over the map in terms of genres. Liked some of it, but not all of it. 3/5 Probably won’t listen again

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.

Just because The British make Stilton and Pork Pie, doesnt mean their cuisine is any good. Likewise this Album. its so... Imperial Leather. Which brings me to Pause momentary and lament the land of The English - as much a mindset as a destination - that land of soap lovers, awkwardness and longing for a lost (breif) greatness, coloured by misery, clouds, a fragmented rail network, failed privatisations, the Glasgow Effect, of flouncy PMs and now the Economic Self Harm of Brexit. As if the food and accents werent enough. They have to be drunk to eat it, it seem, based on how they hit the pubs before going home for supper. Maybe they vote drunk too? Oh yes, the album. So at some point they made some pleasing sounds, and feeling rather good about that, they posed (non ironically it seems) for the cover art, or a hair salon poster, wearing black skivvies and (lead singer) a gold chain, like a Hard Man with a High Voice. But they then needed to go back and fill an album. And they made filler, in the good old English tradition of Stuffing. Which of course you're not meant to eat (the DiMaggio family recipe is an exception, but dont get me talking about Marilyn Munroe and turkey basting, I'm writing here!). The album is dry a turgid and too bready and milky for me. It reminds me of "bread sauce" in that it only brings to mind what is missing. Could it be that in deed there is a thang called Manisfest Destiny, and that it is the English will incessantly make jokes about the French, only to mask their own envy embarassment as being so very English and forever unstylish. Meanwhile to their political future - what will they think of next as their ignorant, pallid version of Populism drives the bus of British history even further off course, insisting "we're not lost, no need to ask for directions!" I do like a few songs but this album annoyed me. So I say "NON alors!"

After Mick Talbot ditched Dexys & formed The Bureau, they had a Top 5 hit in Australia with Only For Sheep (didn’t chart in the U.K.), before Talbot split to form The Style Council with Paul Weller after Weller broke up The Jam. Through 1983 the band released a bunch of successful singles before releasing Cafe Bleu, their debut studio album, in March’84. I have to say it’s worn extremely well. It includes a couple of big hit singles - My Ever Changing Moods & You’re The Best Thing; four instrumental tracks (my favourite is The Blue Cafe, on which Weller’s guitar work tries to channel Django Reinhardt); a rap by Dizzy Hite (on A Gospel); a couple of vocals by D.C.Lee; and what a gift - Tracy Thorn’s delicious vocal on The Paris Match, which also features her Everything But The Girl partner, Ben Watt, on guitar. I don’t think the band were ever again as interesting as this.

I spent most of the 90s playing guitar (badly) in a (borderline unlistenable) industrial band. 'Virtual' Mark Selway programmed the drum machines and generally made a helluva racket. He really dug noise; he introduced me to Merzbow and the Boredoms and Oran Ambarchi and Coil and a whole bunch of pretty out-there artists. When Mark passed away about a decade ago, I inherited his vinyl collection, which contained nearly the complete catalogue of the Style Council; albums, eps, singles, the lot. I was quite surprised. I had not picked him as a fan. I respected his taste, so I did attempt to listen to it. But I just can't. I just never liked Paul Weller. Don't like the Jam, don't like the Style Council, don't like his solo 'Modfather' work. Lots of people I respect really dig the Jam, and god knows I have tried many, many times over the past 40 years to understand it. But I just don't. As Stephen Erlewine wrote in Pitchfork of the Style Council: "Often, the band came across like they had raided their big brother’s closet, trying on suits that didn’t quite fit their frame. Their funk can be stiff, the jazz drifts toward cocktail hour, and they dive into dance without quite knowing whether they can pull off the new sounds." A really egregious example is 'A Gospel', which is the most ham-handed and laughable attempt at rap I have heard since Morris Minor and the Majors' 'Stutter Rap', which at least knew it was a joke. Maybe my problem is that I actually _like_ jazz and soul and r'n'b and funk, and this is just pastiche. It's an ersatz black music by white people for an undiscerning audience. I don't find this convincing or enjoyable. By the end of sitting through the whole album, I am grinding my teeth with frustration. It's not actually _bad_ or hateful, but why am I listening to this instead of a _good_ jazz or soul or r'n'b or funk or rap record? It's another example of the tendency of 1001 albums list to overlook black artists in favour of mainstream white artists peddling inferior copies geared towards mainstream (read: white) audiences. I eventually took Mark's Style Council collection to Scratches Records in Newtown on consignment. They all sold quickly and for pretty good money. I'm glad they have gone to homes that appreciate them, because I sure don't. 2 stars.

Even allowing for the fact that it's a personal fave, one believes one can maintain some level of critical objectivity relative to the obvious excellence of this record, which the editors damn with faint praise or are apologetic or maybe just wrong about its uneven qualities. Because it is objectively great throughout. Cut after cut is exploratory and compelling and fun. The contemporized R&B and funk. The lovely jazz bits in the middle. The pure, sweet love ballad, the unabashed dance track/club banger, the gospel inflections, the perfectly curated instrumentation, both synthesized and organic. Even the rap works. It's not "too eclectic for its own good" but rather great becausae of that very eclecticism, which is well integrated and balanced. More importantly: the whole thing drips warmth and humanity, authenticity and affirmation (which builds steadily throughout and culminates beautifully in the last few cuts, as if the band wants us to be happy, wants us to deeply enjoy music and life, in multiple modes, reflecting the artful genre merging and showing how what's great about the classic and traditional and why/where/how they might be upgrade/upcycled. A quibble: the piano solo version of "Ever Changing Moods" (one's own personal song of the century) is a cut below than the full single version, which is a "flawless pop tune" (editors have that right), a masterpiece, a full stop.Bottom line: Weller is serially underrated – an evolver like Bowie, but with better taste, one would argue, and less showoffy/peacocky tendencies. Bowie insists on showing us how cool he is; Weller just shows up cool, again and again. Exploring genres, not trying to remake them in some oddball image. But one will say it again – it wasn't just that one was young and beautiful and smart and hopeful when one first heard this – discovered for and shared with friends and felt both smart and cool for doing that but also learned what one would become as a listener, reflections about which this 1,001 exercise has inspired – but that the music, was/is/remains excellent.

I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either.

This could have been a 5 until the Gospel lol

Mostly tepid middling music, I recognized a song I'd heard before but for a record that spans this many genres its surprisingly bland.

Kinda cringe!

Red headphones on this one chief

A 3.5, would have been a 4 but for the rapping

Ok I'll say it...this album was really good. I don't even know what to describe it as. Songs that were instrumental, some jazz others light rock. Some were great rock songs and others felt like pop songs but the uniqueness of this album is what I love. There's still hope for this list. I kept Me Ship Came In! (sort of sounded like the West Indies song in Dr Terrors House of Horrors), Blue Cafe, and Strength of your Nature.

I like this one quite a bit! Listed only as "sophistipop," for blending jazz, neo-soul, and some other stuff, my first thought was bossanova or lounge music, but I'm obviously not an expert. Regardless, it's a very cool album, and a smooth departure from the usual fare. Great vibes, great crisp instrumentals. Vocals aren't too powerful, but that's not really a bad thing here. This one's great. Favorite tracks: My Ever Changing Moods, Mick's Blessings, The Whole Point of No Return, The Paris Match, Here's One That Got Away. Album art: A blue (bleu?) image of two boys walking around, perhaps at a cafe? It's simple, but it gets the job done I suppose. 4/5

I actually own this on CD. The wiki article mentions that this album is also on the list 10 essential sophisti-pop albums and when I looked that up I found I own 4 of the albums on that list. So we are well inside my musical comfort zone here. I hadn't listened to this for some time so was glad to be reminded. I really enjoyed listening to it. It is no masterpiece, it is no Dark Side of the Moon or Bat out of Hell so it is not going to get 5 stars but it gets 4 stars easily.

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

Meh

Like how Style Council makes cheery, sunny music but with revolutionary lyrics like in Shout to the Top, and naming an instrumental song Dropping Bombs on the White House. If you bring revolution, then do it in the way Paul Weller (the Cappucchino Kid) did, making people cheerfully sing along. Some songs I like less, A Gospel and Strength of Your Nature, therefore only 4 stars. Best songs: The Paris Match (even better in Everything but The Girl Version) You're the best thing (what a love song!) and their best song ever My Ever Changing Moods

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.

I liked this album. It’s chill and calming.

This album was interesting up until the song A Gospel. That song and everything after was awful. Won’t ever listen to this one again.

Was ready to hate this, based on the 80s sophisti-pop genre tag. Front half, I actually didn't mind much. I wasn't really feeling it, but I didn't hate it. However, the back half is really bad, starting at The Gospel or whatever. So yeah, I was right, overall 1.5/5

This is pretty neat! I prefer the jazzier material to the more “modern” stuff (the hip-hop beats are not it), which means that I preferred side 1, but it’s still a good time. B

Music my sister used to listen to. Kinda nostalgic.

I really like Paul Weller but I didn't like this. Not sure why but it didn't hit.

ok

Now this is accessible jazz. Easy great listen.

Giving this a 4 because it was many genres and voices in one and not bad, so overall a cool concept

So many albums are preachy or have some sort of message they want to get across. The message of this album is: we make good music. It’s just enjoyable quality stuff. It’s eclectic but almost all of it(not the rap. Please no 80s rap) works for me. Great inclusion on the list.

This was a real treat in amongst the other picks I’d been getting. Loved the whole vibe of this album, would happily listen to it again. You’re The Best Thing is a top notch song.

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.

This is a hidden gem. In their debut album, "Cafe Bleu," The Style Council explores undiscovered territory. By playfully combining elements of funk, jazz, soul, hip hop, pop, and even rap, The Style Council has created an interesting and fresh take in what could be called adult contemporary or sophisti-pop. Every track sounds unique, eclectic and beautiful.

The way this album blends genres is so far ahead of its time. I can’t believe this came out in 1983

Aside from the first track, there's no reason this album should be on this list.

Very nice. Actually music and talent.

Abbastanza carino, spazia tanti generi, molte canzoni sono belle.

Decent, not great.

I listened to this & suddenly I was wearing a suit. What happened to my work uniform?

Definitely was not expecting what I would be listening, like everybody said, the sudden rap really throws you out. Not really familiar with the people involved in this album, but it's not something that I would like to listen again.

The first half was a lot better than the second

It started off well and I thought that I was going to be treated to some smooth jazz. Then some weird rap came in and it ended off a bit forgettable.

80s music with jazzy undertones and instruments? Don’t mind if I do.

"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.

It was fun and had a saxophone in it. That’s all I ask for

An unexpected gem! Thought it was gonna be an 80's cheesefest but turned out to be smooth and really well produced. Lots of styles. Seems like a lot of different artists too. Will play again next time I'm cooking

Wasn't in the mood for this one

fun listen

Live fast, have a mid-life identity crisis young. A rocker's experiment with smooth jazz ballads, this is a genre crossing set of songs that sets a mellow mood with careful production and rich instrumentation. His voice isn't built for crooning, and feels like a sodden blanket drapped over the delicate music. Sometimes you can be so open-minded that your brain falls out, A Gospel is the sound of that happening. It kicks up a notch in the final stretch with a more high energy synth pop sound. Hard to imagine who in mid 80s Britain was the audience for this, but speaks to an interesting eclecticism (or lack of direction) in popular music burning out after half a decade of post-punk and new wave.

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.

Not very interesting.

chill. enjoyed it on my commute. In 1984, I would have hated this music,

Not a Paul Weller era that I appreciated. Hated the attempt at rap. Some of the jazz influences too annoying. Strength of your nature was the only track I actually liked.

The jazz and funk were cool. The rap was not. ‘My Ever Changing Mood’ and ‘You’re the Best Thing’ are the keepers.

I always thought the name of this band was pretentious, but then again, I don't know that I ever actually listened to anything they did. The opening notes were encouraging, but this quickly delved into territory I found less than enticing. Something about their pop/jazz didn't sit with me. I don't find it pretentious, but it isn't a flavor that appealed to me. I think the compositions weren't grabbing me, and it was, for lack of a better descriptor, pretty bland. When "A Gospel" hit, it really dated this album and confirms how difficult it is to blend styles and come out with a winning combination. On the whole, I was mostly waiting for this to be over, which is certainly not what any artist is seeking to achieve.

i wasn't expecting to dislike this as much as i did. it's such a disjointed listen. also, it's like musical tourism or something. dabbling in several genres, none of which quite worked—especially that rap tune, but also the jazz didn't swing. and the songwriting didn't work for me. i'm going with a 1 because i didn't like it and I'm also dinging it for being included on this list. it's not Style Council's fault, of course, but there are so many more deserving albums.

A classic album that was in heavy rotation for me back in the day. Paul Weller and Mick Talbot ooze cool. I just love the vibe of this album---pop blended with approachable jazz.

When this album first popped up for my group, my initial reaction, like with a lot of albums from musicians and/or bands I don't recognize, was "Who the hell is this?" I mean, I hate to judge a book by its cover, but something about its cover just seemed... Off to me. Like this would be another random forgettable whatever where I hafta wonder why it's even on this list. Imagine my surprise, then, when after I listen to the album a friend in the group tells me that this group has **Peter Wellers**. The guy from The Jam! and whose solo album WILD WOOD I'd previously rated highly! That guy! I wish his presence did more for me than shift my question to "**What** the hell is this?", but still! Y'know, it actually took me a moment to figure out what a specific problem I had with this album was, and I think it's this: The Jam album I listened to back when, SOUND AFFECTS, is Mod revival and power pop, and it's very good at that. WILD WOODS is very much a 70's singer-songwriter dealie in the 90's, and it's very good at that. CAFÉ BLEU is called a sophisti-pop album, but it jumps all over the damn place, and it doesn't do anything it tries well. Aside from the album's opener, most of the album is just "bleh" dives into various styles. It's very lounge-y, and not even the fun, swinging kind of lounge. And when it's not just "whatever," it's "A Gospel", and the last thing I needed to hear on this album was any attempts at rapping. It's the most memorable thing here, and for all the wrong reasons. So that's a miss in my book, Wellers. I liked WILD WOODS, and my group hasn't gotten SOUND AFFECTS but I know I'm gonna rate it highly, and I know two-out-of-three ain't bad, but... Gawd, why the hell is this here?

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.

This blew me away. Such an eclectic sound. The track we all know is the most boring of the lot.

Listened to it for the second time and still don’t really like it. But I enjoyed some songs more.

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.

Kies een stijl man

Of you like jazz…

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."

What a waste of time

Great album. Classic songs

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…

Two absolute belters in "You're the best thing" and "My ever-changing moods", but I'm really not sure what the rest of the album was trying to be. More meh, than heh.

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

Gepflegte Langeweile.

Quite a funky beast

Would make an amazing EP.

The best thing on this album is 'Youre the best thing'.

Utter shite. Actually got on my tits.

It's quite impressive that they've somehow managed to produce quite shit songs for this wide a range of different genres

Interesting!

The Style Council should have spent more time in their committee meetings because it's apparent that they couldn't decide on what style of music to stick with, they were all over the place. We were friends for the first half of the album but after the second half I removed them from my Christmas card list.

Great chill/alternative first part of the album. Second part is a bit more experimental, not so much to my taste

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

BOOOOOORING. Didn't like

kick, slide fresh prince slay

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

kahvila sininen...sinikahvi...saludo... hyvää taustamusiikkia, pianotoimintaa kun ei laulua. valitettavasti pakko se suu käydä sen verran usein että mahdotonta nauttia...myös kutsulaulajat vaikka parempia niin mielummin olisin ilman. unohdettava albumi a.a SAMITÄ =!=!? MITÄ?? MISSÄ OEN?=?? en muista mitään... HÄÄH?? MITÄ TAPAHTUI!!! SELITÄ NYT!!! rauhassa...ota rauhassa... okei... voitok selittää mitä tapahtui... en voi selittäää...miksi...vain yksi henkilö voi selittää tämän..kuka...mene syvään metsäikköön, sieltä löydät etsimäsi...ok... strength of your nature (least populated song)

Very nice, a bit jazzy, a bit of this and that.

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

Agradable R&B, hay canciones para mi playlist de pomodoro. Dee C Lee estaba acá y en Wham!!

Never listened to this before. . . Probably never will again, although a few tracks are catchy and interesting, especially considering this came out in 1984.

Blue eyed soul for those who feel they're above Hall and Oates. The highs certainly soar here but my word is it horribly sequenced. It's like they had no idea what the hits would be. Which is odd because the hits clearly tower over the duds.

not my thing, maybe today I'm not in the moodo for somethhing like this

I feel like this is jazzy bland of talking heads, tears for fears and weird new wave stuff. Not my favorite.

Mix of jazz, pop, etc... Not really my style

Decent background music.

Even in a world where only 1001 albums ever got released, I'd be like: "Eh, I dunno about including this one on the list". What the hell is this.

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

2.5 I made it a full 50% through this album thinking it might be my first 5 on an album I wasn’t very familiar with before. And then we got to the rap track. What a travesty. It never really recovered after that. Plus, I’m all for eclectic but this was truly all over the place.

I know some people tend to be lukewarm on the whole so-called "sophisti-pop" genre, but Style Council were really the best of this particular moment in music. Their sound was smooth, smart, soulful, eclectic and beautifully crafted. But its musical loveliness belies a striking political undercurrent that's really unusual. There's nothing else quite like it, a truly enjoyable listen. Café Bleu is probably the band's second best work, after the outstanding Our Favourite Shop. My minor critiques of the album would be that some of synth elements sound a bit dated, and that the album is a bit overly-weighted with instrumentals. But when they get it right, it's pure jazz-pop perfection. Tracey Thorn's vocal on "The Paris Match" is one of the prettiest things I've ever heard and "You're the Best Thing" is an underheard classic of the era. The album version of "My Ever Changing Moods" pales in comparison to the more upbeat version that was released as a single, but it's still one of my favorites. Fave Songs: Here's One That Got Away, The Paris Match, Headstart for Happiness, My Ever Changing Moods, You're the Best Thing, The Whole Point of No Return, Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse

Despite a slight overall quality drop from the Jam, Style Council have of couse made some great albums too, in particular this one. Very smooth.

The jazzy pop songs in the first half of the album sound okay to me, but then the band take a complete left turn with some awful hiphop/funk in A Gospel and Strength of Your Nature. The rest of the songs don't offer much improvement; especially the vocal delivery is pretty dodgy at times.

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.

Blind album and artist. The opening track was my favorite and nothing like the rest. Low score from me.

sucked

Never heard of them but I love them. 80s funk with jazz influence

2.5/5. Pretty 80s, but it's not terrible. Certainly not something I would choose to listen to. But it was not painful.

Instrumental tracks were the highlight. This album makes me feel like I'm starring in my own early 90s family sitcom.

4/5. I like the chill instrumental songs the most, but this does provide a nice atmosphere of late night sad bars with single people who have never been loved. Then it becomes way more diverse than I expected, side 2 bangs out a rap song out of nowhere and stays pretty hype through the next song. Then it slows down and goes back to similar energy as first side. Overall, a much more enjoyable than it started out to be, glad I didn't just give up immediately lol.

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

Not really for me.

- i like the ambience they set

I get why people would be into this, but it's not for me

I am so sad that I didn't know of this album years and years ago. I absolutely loved it and ended up listening to it three times. Definitely going to be checking out the rest of the band's discography

*what an excuse to relisten to this album! i really only like it bc it brings back good memories tho, not entirely bc i adore the music 4/7

Don't know what to make of this. Some things I like. Some things are straight up garbage and there is absolutely no continuity

Pretty good sounding album. At times the style of genre changes are odd but the album has an overall nice sound to it.

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

My Ever Changing Mood Lijepe laganica pjesme

Cool little recognition of the chick from Everything But the Girl but that's about where the enjoyment ended

Massive self indulgent wank with 2 very good songs in it

Go back to singing about the tube network

The instrumental tracks are a definite highlight of this album, whilst the other tracks are pretty solid throughout. I love the jazzy feel a lot of the songs have, whilst the album manages to still hop around genres a bit. The rap is definitely a bit out of left field and I hesitate to say I liked it, but maybe it's so bad it's good? Either way, a thoroughly enjoyable album.

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'

Not my thing.

Andy's comparison to Joe Jackson is dead on. That's what I was wanting the whole time.

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.

Different then expected. Does have different styles. Enjoyed listening to it.

In today's entry for 'Bands that wouldn't be on it had they not had a reviewers darling in the band' featuring Paul Weller's The Style Council. Bonus entry cross-indexed to UK darlings that the author(s) of the list want to push into your ears because of their UK bias. 2/5.

2. Meh. Seems like elevator music. (Which I am fine with sometimes. Today was just not the day for this pablum)

Beautiful album! Sophisticated and well-made in all aspects. I only had time for one listen yesterday, but this one will stay with me for a while.

Mellow.

I feel like I was in coffee shop open mic hell

it is not often i think something would be better without words but…. could i write poetry to this? n

I'm a big fan of some of the musicians on this album (Paul Weller, Tracey Thorn, Ben Watt), but this is a mess of the worst of the 80's. The "Style" that their name references was out of date within five years of its release. The Rap on "A Gospel" is especially cheesy. The jazzy bits are fine, but derivative and unworthy of being on this list. The British Blue-Eyed Soul songs are very similar to plenty of other 80's records (i.e. the Simply Red album that was covered earlier on this list) and don't need any further exploration. One and one-half stars. The extra half star is a gift because I really like The Jam and Everything But the Girl. Unfortunately, this album sounds nothing like either of them.

This was one of the most disjointed albums I’ve ever listened to

I want to go back in time and tell the Beatles and Rolling Stones that one of the downsides of them covering Black American music is that it will lead to several of their countrymen releasing ridiculously neutered versions of Black American music.

Fine as background music, I guess. The Tracey Thorn feature is the highlight, canceled out by the absolute garbage of a rap song that comes later. Stick with The Jam.

3.5

Some decent songs, but usually too over the top in some way

Album varié musicalement mais aucunement dans mes intérêts.

The whole time I was just picturing Paul Allen listening to Huey Lewis.

A long winded random album that was enjoyable as background noise.

I was surprised but I really liked this!!!

Wonderful

Once they’d got over Madness being a bit shit, most of the cool kids in school decided that The Style Council were the best thing ever. I was never one of the cool kids. As a result this is my first listen to a full Style Council album. I wonder what the cool kids made of it? Probably confused the fuck out of them as it's all over the place stylistically. The early 80s were a bit bleak for just teenagers in small towns in the provinces with just Top of the Pops, Steve Wright and Smash Hits to inform them about the world. Hence The Style Council being cool. There are lots of lovely things on this record. Many of them are quite good, although the range of things makes it all a bit hit and miss and I get the feeling that because it can't settle down that you end up with second best of everything. Tracey Thorn's vocal, for example, is fine but it's not Norah Jones; the jazzy bits are perfectly OK but just fall a bit short perhaps; the rap bit... Well, the less said about that the better. Rap for provincial small town teenagers perhaps. I think the sheer range of this is just too much for me. I don't want it all to sound the same, but there's just too much here to make a great album.

All over the place... soft jazz, instrumental, rap, synth pop!

Absolutely unhinged, and I'm ok with that.

•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

# Playlist track - Strength of Your Nature # Notes - This album is all over the place. - I actually opened Spotify a couple of times to see if it hadn't changed to a different one for some reason. - It's breadth is super interesting, but a lot of the tracks are kinda uninspired. - Definitely worth a listen and revisiting.

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

This might be the dorkiest record on this list.

All over the place

What the heck was this? It might be the most random selection of genres and concepts I've heard on this so far. Can't say I liked any of it, but I guess I only hated a few tracks.

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.

This was completely listenable, but not really impressive in any way. It was eclectic and unfocused as far as genre goes, not really conveying a clear mastery of any specific genres. Rather, it just sort of conveyed a message of an ability to vaguely and generically dabble in many genres, which may lend to its inability to leave an impression.

Couldn’t get into it

When this isn't heinous and unlistenable, it's dull and bland. How the hell is this the guy from The Jam? They were big and punchy and high-energy. This sounds like a Kohl's changing room. Atrocious.

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

This is one of the worst album I've ever heard of my life. Not only it was boring, but also annoying, out of place and made with bad taste. What the hell? I can't believe this album was actually made. Lame jazz meets unpleasant pop with their friend, the uncomfortable rap song. Seriously, I can't believe at what I just listened.

Like flipping though radio stations

not feeling it

There’s a good bit of almost everything on this album: chamber pop, soul, hard bop, a rather uninspired rap, and what can only be described as “80s montage music.” With one major exception (Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse), it’s a bland, self-serious album. You get the impression that these guys would rather be gazing wistfully out of rain soaked coffeehouse windows in Soho.

1.5 - What the hell did I even listen to? The first part is about what I expected: cafe music, fittingly. And the last few songs sounded similar to Dexy's, which makes some sense. But, uh, what's with the hip hop part? Why??? I don't know, a lot of this album just didn't feel like there was any genuine emotion behind it. It was pretty sterile and it was not a very cohesive album. What an odd album.

Weirdly, my album two days ago was All Mod Cons. At no point during that did I think "this is all very good... but I wish Paul Weller would start rapping." That track excluded, the album is great fun. I love the jazzy instrumentally tracks and the politically charged songs in between. Big fan.

moah

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

Paul Weller's jazz days, and we don't talk about Paul Weller's jazz days... We ESPECIALLY don't talk about Paul Weller's rap days.

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

I’ve tried many times over to like the Style Council but it always sounds off to me. Don’t get me wrong I love the Jam and Paul Weller in general but this band sounds naff

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

Paul Weller what are you doing? -3 for "A Gospel" it's like a anti-drug rap song form the 80's just horrible. Strength of Your Nature is not much better. The jazz soul stuff songs are about the best but even they suffer from sounding... well soul less.

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

Jazz New Wave hybrid? This was not my thing, but i didn't turn it off.

You know it's not going to be great when, after a few songs, I start thinking that the ones without lyrics are much better than the ones with lyrics. And what the hell was that "A Gospel" That said, it wasn't so annoying I wanted to turn it off. But it's not good.

Much too stylish for me. Meh

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

So nice. An album I was already fairly familiar with. Has some moments that do feel a little like filler. But the heights of the album are just so good

Instrumental tracks were nice, but nothing special.

one or two tracks were pleasant, but overall messy

People have a real hate for this record. I don’t think it was bad but it definitely wasn’t great. Not cohesive in the slightest and didn’t really convince me to listen to it at any point. Musically sound and clever at moments.

very cool

Impressive they can cross so many genres, but this is so dated.

First half 4.5, second half 3.5, evens out

Is it jazz? Is it hip hop? Idk. Fun stuff though, the music and lyrics are indeed an awkward juxtaposition of upper class sounds with working class lyrics.

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.

Not every experiment should be published. Sometimes an idea isn't working out and shouldn't be put to tape and spread to the masses. Just saying.

My oh my. We've only had Sound Affects from The Jam before this came up. It'll be a crime if this makes the list and the other two albums from The Jam's golden trio, All Mod Cons and Setting Sons, doesn't make the list. As someone who was a massive Jam fan the Style Council were always underwhelming - I can remember hearing Into Tomorrow (his first solo single) and going 'finally' - like instead of a difficult second album he went for a difficult second musical career. Funk, soul, jazz, mod all jostle uncomfortably on a confused record that goes off in a million directions without sounding convinced by any. In a non-instrumentals album you're allowed one, any more (like here) ends up sounding like half-finished tracks. The next album, Our Favourite Shop, is generally seen as a stronger and more coherent work. Maybe that's on here too.

This is the most random collection of songs and styles I’ve ever heard with absolutely no rhyme or reason for there to be so.

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.

Really like Paul Weller but this wasn't really brilliant.

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

Most part I enjoyed this album. Favorite song(s): "The Whole Point of No Return", "The Paris Match" best song on the album, "My Ever Changing Moods", "Here's One That Got Away". Side 1, instrumental tracks were good, there was my favourite song on this album and then there was "A gospel", i don't know who thought that it would be a great idea to put a rap song in a jazzy/soul/pop album, after that there was some good fun tracks, but in the end i would give this album a 4-/5(without "A gospel" it would be a solid 4/5)

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

Despite a couple of good tracks (released as singles), much of this album is a disappointing melange of cliches and music-hall derivatives. Stick to Weller's later albums, or seek out a greatest hits album.

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

Reminded me of the amazing Live Aid show in London 1985 - a show I was at working for a London Radio station doing stage site interviews and managed to get Bowie, Brian May and anothers to stop and say a few words - Paul Weller was fantastic that day The Style Council where very popular with the crowd too.

This is an album for a café. It has some faux-jazz sounds that no-one cares about and some weird pop tunes that don't matter neither lyrically nor musically. The highlights are mainly the songs that feature lyrics in a wider span than repeating the chorus 25x times or just boring-ahh rap from the early 80s made by a white man which in return makes it such a cringe listen. The album can be described as a punk guy trying to do "experimental" music that takes inspiration from jazz, soul and hip-hop, all in not a good way. Highlights for me aren't many as the highs aren't that high but the first half isn't a terrible listen. On the other hand the second half sucks especially "A Gospel" wich has to be one of the worst songs I have ever heard. Rating: I am feeling a strong 4 to a light 5

Big swings all over this album Fantastic vocals My Ever Changing Mood is an all timer You're the best thing is a classic Scapes a 4

I knew the band name, but never experienced their music. Very much different than I expected. It's ok, but not my favourite style.

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.

Wow I enjoyed this a lot right from the get-go. There was such a pleasant variety of sounds and genres, and I enjoyed every song on this album, especially the instrumental pieces. In fact, I'm gonna go listen to it again.

Not great.

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.

inconsistent and two much. reading other reviews there are a lot of these two songs are good, doesn't make up for the utter amateurishness of the whole endeavor and nothing makes up for A Gospel.

upbeat and eclectic. hard to nail down a genre with this one. certainly not the worst album on this challenge, but i can’t see myself listening to it again.

Cafe Bleu

The Style Council

Reviews (page 6 of 8)