Cafe Bleu

3rd floor please- legit, I mean elevator music has a place but the vocals are cringey. Another I def dont need before I die. It was 2 stars until the rap…just please no.

Not even Tracey Thorn could save this. Such a huge step down from The Jam.

Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse kinda rules but the rest ranges from mediocre to insultingly bad

Jazzy lounge act? What is this? The best part of getting this album was reading the bio in Spotify. Rovi's Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a hero. He referred to the bands musical pretentiousness twice, referred to the leads career trajectory as "from hero to has-been" and their "self-important and pompous music." What more do I need to say after that?

I love Paul Weller's solo work as well as all the Jam albums, but this is boring as fuck.

Seems like a band in search of their sound and, damn it, they can’t find it at all…

The majority of this is "jazz" for folks who don't like jazz-- milquetoast and bland. The blue-eyed soul is so derivative and try-hard it hurts. Both of the singles "My Ever Changing Mood" and "You're the Best Thing" were so forgettable I couldn't even remember their melodies when the next song started. Then the second side turns to rap. Big swing and a miss. "A Gospel" is so bad I couldn't finish it. On the bright side, this is followed by "Strength of Your Nature", which is better but just sounds like an impersonation of the Talking Heads on Stop Making Sense. Then we return to the forgettable easy listening, I never thought I'd appreciate the comfort so much. "Here's One That Got Away" is also irritating, feels like the worst aspects of Wham!, but at least the fiddle was a little memorable. The whole album felt like it went into one ear and out the other. It is perhaps overly ambitious. Which is a shame because this album list has previously introduced me to The Jam's All Mod Cons, which I really enjoyed. It sounds like Paul Weller formed this band to explore genres he liked-- maybe he should just stick to listening to them rather than performing them.

Oh no, no thank you. No no no.

"The Paris Match" and "My Ever Changing Moods" were really good tracks. The rest of the album was just a meandering mess. As much as I appreciated them going for variety of sounds and styles, there wasn't any point to it. No cohesion, no direction. Cafe Blow.

Wow, this is what Paul Weller decided to do after the jam? Not that I'm a jam fan really but what in the Phil Collins is this? I really can't get on board with that overproduced 80s pop sound with all the brass and the style council have it in spades. Does feel like they were trying to latch on to what was popular at the time. Can't see past a 1 here, very much not for me.

A mood board of an album - the mood is, "wind-up merchant". Naff, pretentious, and confusing. Mick's Blessings sounds very East-End. Chas and Dave lite.

"he shares my hatred of the rock myth and the rock culture": too bad, Paul, but now you just suck. The Jam were transcendent. This is as bad, if not worse, than Michael Jackson. No matter what you do, don't this ever again. 0 stars rounded up to 1 star.

Absolute trash

no likey, but ok as background noise

No me ha llamado demasiado.

What a ride. It has a little bit of nothing for no one. Bad 80s jazz? I think. Music from a bad 80s movie soundtrack. By that I mean the movie, soundtrack and music are all bad.

Ope

Dogshit

What absolute dribble. I cannot for the life of me imagine the type of person who would want to listen to this gobsite.

Odd to be on the list. Very generic and disjointed. 2.0

What the hell? I mean, I like The jam, I like quite a few solo albums of Paul Weller, but this? Half a side with lazy jazz that can easily be categorized as muzak which feels like cocktail lounge music rather than anything genuinely adventurous... I mean, I know better jazz records that should belong to this list, better pop albums too, not to mention the song "The Gospel" which is maybe the worst white-boy attempt to rap. Then comes an utterly crap attempt to make a funk song (Strength of Your Nature), just to be followed up by a horrible sugarcoated 80's love ballad (You're the Best Thing) that with it's right belongs to a "Now This Is What I Call Music" compilation. but certainly not on this list. Terrible. 1/1

I always thought I wouldn't like Paul Weller. Now I know for sure. File under: the who, Tom Petty and other uninteresting dudes.

If you like The Jam, and don’t like Jazz, you’re going to have a bad time.

Yawn. Who is this for?

Who?

Ça fait mal à écouter 😭😭😭 C'est le truc le plus cheesy ever. A Gospel est carrément dégueulasse.

Horse shit

I was going to be kind and give this a 2 but it's honestly so fucking shit I just can't.

I don't know what that was but I know I didn't really like it and I have no interest in listening to it again.

Feels like cheesy elevator music in a department store

no. I’m good. I’m sure Paul Weller and his associated acts have a lot of fans, but I’m not one of them.

Klassisk eksempel på et britisk band som nok ikke havde behøvet at være i den her bog. Det var sgu kedeligt. Vildt nok at vi har haft to Paul Weller albums men ikke noget The Jam endnu.

Paul Weller… what the fuck? This is a mess. The first half is jazzy slow rock sophistipop garbage. The second half starts off with two hip-hip songs with some truly terrible 80’s production and then becomes funk/soul?

All over the place stylistically. A few of the songs were fun, but there was some abysmal muzak sprinkled in alongside wannabe rap. No idea why this is on the list.

I’ll give these guys credit. They aren’t just terrible jazz musicians. They are also terrible rappers. This is amongst the worst albums I’ve encountered on this list and that’s saying something, as I’m like 950 albums in. I will never listen to this band again and might take proactive measures to ensure that I am never in a position to encounter the slightest risk of encountering this band again.

Shite

Attempt to do every style of music, none of them competently.

Meh, I don't even know what to write, bleh cafe.

I like the Jam. I like Paul Weller’s solo stuff. This was nearly unlistenable.

#483. This was some mediocre jazzy nonsense that I was fully ready to give two stars, but then he started rapping. 1/5: no thanks, buckaroo

Booooooooriiiiiiing adult contemporary jazz. Sorry Paul Weller

Paul Weller was 25 when he started The Style Council... and frankly, he was old enough to know better.

The 80s were a hell of a time. This fails on almost every level - it either needs to be pulled back or aim higher. As it result it’s a middling sounding hodgepodge of jazz/rap/dance/easy listening.

1. blezzingz - 1 2. return - 1.5 3. zhip - 0 4. cafe - 1.5 5. pariz - 1.5 6. moodz - 1 7. bombz - 1 8. gozpel - 0 9. nature - 0 10. thing - 1 11. auuay - 0 12. happinezz - 1 13. meeting - 1

Naff.

Pop com alguma tentativa de parecer cool sem ser pretensioso. Só não conseguiu.

Shit

The Paris Match My Ever Changing Moods You're the Best Thing

Pretty bad, very forgettable. My new policy means I'm not listening to the end. Life's too short.

Music they play when you’re on hold on the phone, but not as catchy.

Forgettable

At first it was cheesy, then it was boring, but I think most offensively it was obviously made purely to jump upon the success of black artists' musical stylings and genres. This may seem like a brash accusation, but if we can critique Jamiroquai for his Stevie Wonder "impressions" then it seems ignorant to turn a blind eye here. At first you just get stocky sounding Olive Garden jazz that is generic, but the B-side opens with perhaps the most "we can make money off this "rap" thing" song I've ever heard, trying its best to copy the flow and delivery of the best of the disco-rap acts of the early 80s, obviously in the best way a couple European white guys can, and it doesn't stop there, with various (terrible) takes on genres and influences the pair just quite frankly has no business attempting, not only because they really shouldn't, but also because they cannot. It sounds awful, going past cheesy into the realm of disturbing quickly, and even if songs after that and Strength of Your Nature do try to gather their composure, the damage has already been dealt, and it's impossible to not see every song as disingenuous and only in it for some sort of financial gain or at the very least brownie points for trying something so different to their prior work. Songs tend to start with good hooks, but get old quick, and in that time I'm left waiting for the song to end, only thinking of the middle of the album offense that is hard to ever forget, and frankly has soured my little views on Paul Weller to an extreme degree. This is, frankly, not good, and should be forgotten into a bygone era, for everyone's sake.

Shockingly enjoyable opening and closing instrumental tracks. Unfortunately every song with vocals was very bad. Seems like you need to hear this album in order to remember why people rag on music from the 80s. I guess that is a useful exercise, because the disrespect for 80s music has always baffled me since the music that endured from that decade is some of the best. This stuff is some of the worst.

This album is really incoherent as a whole, it skips back and forth between instrumental jazz and cheesy soft rock (and then goes even more bonkers). There's a decent song in there somewhere but what a mess. I expected a lot more from "Dropping Bombs on the White House" and what in the love of god was happening on "A Gospel," was that a Paul Weller rap? I can't go over a 1.45 here.

What is this? Why is this? Weller trying out every genre from bad lounge to jazz to actually rapping? It's mediocre at best...like he read music for idiots and followed the formulas. Am I missing something here? I did like the last track "Council Meetin" for the beat but I think he even copied that from "Were an American Band?" Even the band name is lame and trying to sound too cool. This is an album Patrick Bateman would eagerly explain every nuance to each song before burying an axe in your skull (thankfully). Still better than Beyonce. Drop mic...I'm out...1.45.

Well that was unexpected. Five or songs of slightly dull tinkly piano jazz and then he whips out the drum machine and launches into a criminally embarrassing white boy rap. Why did no one stop him. Paul, think of the children! Sadly it was pretty much downhill from there.

Dreadful. Is that a word the cool kids still use, 'dreadful?' This is obviously a British album because it sounds like a white karaoke version of pretty much any legit soul album we have here in the states. I'm pretty sure this was an strong influence for all of Color Me Badd's work.

The Jam are a highly respected band, oozing street cred. Paul Weller should be embarrassed. This album is an abomination - smooth jazz and bad rapping. Style Council was a serious wrong turn in his career.

Just boring and soft. Not a top 1001 contender not 10001

Meh

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

Barf.

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.

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.

cool clothes on cover wack ass music within

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!"

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.

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

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.

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.

Not very interesting.

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.

What a waste of time

Gepflegte Langeweile.

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

BOOOOOORING. Didn't like

sucked

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

White guy rapping

Volvemos a los coñazos habituales.

Really bad. Nothing that really appeals to me at all. 1/5

I’ve listened to each of these albums with as much of an open mind as possible. This was bad. What genre are we focusing on? What’s the theme? Very weird.

No! I mean just no! How did this even make the list? If we are putting this on the list there aren't 1001 great albums.

It was music, there were instruments and vocals. Possibly the worst album we've had so far.

What a mess of an album. This should never have been included in this list.

Hate the Style council almost as much as I hate NLC

Ass tbh

Paul Weller was in The Jam before he was in The Style Council - you couldn't get two totally different groups. The Style Council are a strange mix of jazz, soul, and funk. Not for me.

The beginning of the sad decline.of the modfather. More Jam please.

"Yes!" I thought, "The Style Council! Great!" It turned out I was thinking of The Jam.

one of the worst albums of all time

WTF is this bullshit?

As per Paul Weller’s biography, “[Cafe Bleu] left some fans confused and critics divided”. I’m not really a fan and I’m confused.

cafe brun

I thought The Style Council were good before I heard this awful album of terrible jazz-style coffee shop music.

Fomísimo

Where’s the words

Not good

Paul Weller, a social consciousness in the Thatcher era, plenty of guest musicians; this album should be great, but it's a mess of styles muddied by ever present 80's synths and saxophone. I wanted to like this one, as I do early and contemporary Paul Weller. Unfortunately, this is about as bad as the mid-80's has to offer.

I really want to like this, but I don't.

Not feeling it. Some weird 80s European-mod-jazz

chiant

Bland 80s. I liked Paul Weller in the Jam, but this is the worst kind of boring. The Jam was rollicking and fun, but this I do not like.

Not my thing... jazz that turned into weird hip hop.

Worse than imagine

terrible album. very confusing.

Pfoe, daar had ik wel wat meer van verwacht. erg gezapig

Not good. Dated

Wikipedian mukaan tämän genre on "sophisti-pop". Ilmeisesti oma sivistys ei riitä, koska tämä ei kyllä toimi ollenkaan. Sinänsä mitään suurta vikaa en keksi ja ei tämä ärsytä, mutta myös positiivisten puolten löytäminen tuntuu vaikealta. Tai noh, uusintakuuntelulla alkoi myös ärsyttämään jolloin arvosana meni naksulla alaspäin.