Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Some mildly interesting tracks around the beginning, but it quickly descended into the 70's singer/songwriter nightmare fuel of my childhood, wholey unremarkable, I'm sure it warrants further perseverance but if I have to listen to this again I may smash up my hi-fi gear, up there with "tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree", ⭐⭐
This is probably the most mediocre album I've come across on this list so far. It wasn't terrible, but none of the songs seemed worth revisiting and it sounds like it came out about 15 years too late - I was shocked to see it was from the mid-70s and not 1960.
Too bad this wasn’t his first album. This album was dark and boring
Meh.
Dion! That's definitely a name. Mainly known for his early rock and roll singles before the British Invasion, Dion enjoyed an extensively lengthy career (still alive and making music today at 89!) and anyone that's continued a music career that long spanning across numerous genre movements, could have an album on a long list like this. I think my parents had this album on vinyl, but never ever talked about Dion. Maybe it was one of those albums that everyone had to get back in the day to play at parties, even if they didn't like the music. I'm not fully sure what I'm getting into, but 70s pop doesn't exactly inspire me to think I will enjoy it, but I can be wrong. It's a great sounding record, and not to discredit Dion as a singer or anything but it's definitely not the sort of music I seek out. I did like the psychedelic influence on the album, however mild it may be it is noticed. I like the self-titled track the most, but even as a Phish fan I thought it went on a bit too long (which was the norm of 70s pop music). 70s Pop and 80s pop are kind of night and day difference. Songs got shorter in the 80s and were much more driven by synthesizers. 70s pop was in the singer/songwriter and slower R&B thing until Disco and Punk movements told pop to get more energetic, leading to new wave/etc. I can understand why it's on the 1001+ list but aside from Fleetwood Mac, Cher, and maybe a good half dozen of all other 70s pop that predates disco, I'd put this one on the bubble of being replaced by something newer that'll be more influencial in the future, something like Brat or the inevitable Next Frank Ocean Album (trademark). At least it's not yacht rock.
meh
What I found interesting in Dion's biography was his membership in New York gangs as a teenager and the connection to the film "The Wanderers," which I recently saw again. I have roughly the same opinion of the album as he does. He distanced himself from it because it sounded like funeral music. A little too schmaltzy and oily. 2/5
At least one song on here seems like it could have been inspiration for some of Counting Crows stuff. But I didn't get into this at all; would not choose to listen to again. 2.4/5
Not my thing. It wasn't bad but it was fairly boring. 2.25/5
Very much a curate's egg of an album here. Some strange production choices ensure that my friends and I sang a more joyous version of He's Got The Whole World In His Hands during our primary school assemblies and some of the other songs sound like they were recorded in a swimming pool! However, there are saving graces in the New York City Song, and the incredible Your Own Back Yard which has a beauty and an honesty that brings shivers to the spine and tears to the eyes.
I like his earlier stuff better
🙄
Phil Spector comes out of everyone to show just how middling adult contemporary music can be. bonus point because Dion himself does sound quite nice.
This is the sort of music that may have well been on the radio when i was younger but is so inoffensively dull it failed to register
This has such little impact on me, so I’m only able to say I don’t think I hated it?
We coincidentally got this album the day before Dion released a biography and tie-in album The Rock ‘n’ Roll Philosopher. The longevity of some of the artists on this list is genuinely impressive - he released his first album with The Belmonts in 1959! I was pleased to learn that this had been packaged with another album on Amazon Music and so to be true to the Generator, I only had to listen to the first 8 tracks. The question then became, would this be enjoyable enough that I would keep going? No. Nice voice, mostly fairly dull songs (I liked Good Lovin' Man). 2/5
Boring
Ekki að fíla þetta
When I initially glanced the cover I thought it was going to be Celine Dion, so this was more of a pleasant suprise than it might've been for others. He's got the whole world is dreadful though, and others (in and out of shadows) etc. Clocked Jarvis Cocker 'don't let him waste your time' tune borrowed from 'only you know'. Spector's layering technique does make for interesting listening even if the music isn't the best. Still sounds good today. Phil was good with his hands. Also, you're off the hook after "good lovin man", Apple Music has bolted Streetheart on the end. An hour twenty would've been too long.
#735. Really grasping at straws with this one trying to hit that 1001 number, weren't we? 2/5: eh
This album feels like a declaration of love, with both yearning, desperation and melancholy. I actually fell asleep to this, meaning it was soothing and calm.
Sometimes your bags of Thanksgiving cookies get crushed because they were packed underneath the luggage for some reason. You gotta learn to look at things differently, a handful of broken cookie pieces is just a full cookie from a different point of view. anyways....in the first song he talks about being born to love a little girl and in the second song he begs God to make an uninterested woman love him. "I know she needs me she just doesn't know" real sucker shit Dion.
Spotify also has the Born to be With You/Streetheart combination, and when it flips over you really notice the difference in tone. The "Born to be with you" side is slow and almost morose at times. Streetheart is upbeat pop. Is this all Phil's influence? Dion seems to think so.
I like Dion's older stuff, and I love the Spector Wall of Sound production on the songs that have it. But I just had a really hard time getting through this album. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for it, but I found it meh.
2 out of 5 I was expecting nothing, and I was surprised to be wrong. More 70s alternative than slow rock.
Well, I listened to the reissued version of this album on accident, and the reissue combines Born to Be With You with Dion's next album, Streetheart. My original review would have said the album improved toward the end, but that was because I preferred the jazz, pop sound of Streetheart over Born to Be With You's folk pop. For what it's worth, Streetheart was several years ahead of the smooth soul music of the eighties, and I found myself impressed. Since I'm only reviewing Born to Be With You, my review is less than favorable. The songs blended together and were bland. Dion didn't write most of the material either. Most of the songs seemed to be plucked directly from the sixties. I'm unsure why this album was included. It couldn't have been because a white man covered the African American spiritual "(He's Got) The Whole World in His Hands."
I have heard some of Dion's big 60s hits, so I was intrigued to hear what a late 70s Dion would sound like. The conclusion? Meh. It was just okay. From his 60s sound, "Runaround Sue" and others are iconic decade standouts. But the sound on this album doesn't really stand out from what others were doing at the time. This wasn't bad, but it was not outstanding, either. Probably about a 2.5 for me, but no desire to round up.
got 10 tracks into this, paused to do something, and just couldn't bring myself to restart. Mid-70s pop rock. yuck.
Meh
Música para pasarla en un velorio
Dull. Fillers everywhere.
He’s not a bad singer but this was boring
Wat krijg je als een album zo spannend is als een gerecht met de volgende ingrediënten: Water Bloem Thats it Want zo voelt dit album. Was dit groundbreaking toen het uitkwam? Ik kan het me eigenlijk gewoon niet voorstellen. Dit is beige, dit is achtergrond muziek, maar dan wel vrij saaie achtergrondmuziek. Overigens; waarschuwing JE HOEFT ALLEEN DE EERSTE 8 NUMMERS MAAR TE LUISTEREN! Zeer belangrijk, want dit album is gewoon niet zo boeiend. Denk dat het laatste nummer mn favoriet was, ook omdat ik er toen achter kwam dat ik niet meer van Dion hoefde te luisteren. Kan ik weer over naar de orde van de dag. FAVO: Good lovin man
Props to the reviewer that pointed out they combined this album with another that let me know how many tracks to actually listen to rather than mistaken my listen to two albums of this mid music.
Нещо не го усетих
To piggy back on the Apple Music review, Spotify seems to have combined albums as well. Just listen to the first 8!
Really not for me
Not bad but not interesting
This was easy listening but eminently forgettable. He’s got the whole world in his hands gave me flashbacks to school assembly. What it was doing on here I have no idea. Much the same way as I feel about the album on this list.
maybe i just wasn't in the right headspace, but i couldn't figure out why this album was chosen for this list. He's Got the Whole World in His Hands and Make the Woman Love Me both gave me the ick. The rest seemed mediocre at best. i'm sure there are better Dion albums out there.
Too melodramatic for my ears
Moody gospel-esque guitar vibes. Not bad, just not my thing. Also, romantic lyrics that use the term "little girl"....gross
Background music. Easy to listen.
Serviceable yacht rock
Not for me. Bit boring.
Dikke meevaller. Niet de muziek zelf, maar de lengte. Spotify komt aanzetten met een album van bijna anderhalf uur, maar het originele album is slechts 35 minuten. Verder is dit echt rete saai zeg. Ik denk eerlijk gezegd dat deze man best een leuk album zou kunnen maken, maar dit is niet dat leuke album. Trage nummers waarin niet zo heel veel gebeurt. Een beetje Bob Dylan-achtig, saaier maar wel beter gearticuleerd en gezongen. En die lelijke lompe productie die we gewend zijn van Phil Spector komt er ook nog bovenop. Ik had het er blind misschien niet uitgehaald, maar als je het weet hoor je het. Ik kan hier niet bijzonder veel mee. Zweeft rond de 2,5 dit. Ik ben de laatste dagen best positief maar ik ga deze toch even naar beneden afronden.
"Make a woman love me" has a very different meaning these days... There were some OK songs - but for the most part this was trying to be Paul Simon with a mesh of Paul McCartney. Maybe he wishes his name was Paul? I'll give it a 1.5 and round up because it's not horrible like a 1. But I don't understand how it made this list.
Nothing special.....NEXT!
A *very* average album. Not sure why it's on this list.
Nothing special about this. Not bad, but not something I'd choose to listen to again.
too long and boring 2/5
Didn’t care much for this but you can almost draw a direct line from here to Father John Misty. High 2.
Kind of a surprise to discover the guy I only know from WOW compilations had a more complex career than most CCM artists. This is still absolutely not my vibe, though. Sorry, Dion.
After reading about Dion, I thought of Bob Dylan. Their career trajectories are similar in the sense that they had early success followed by a turn to more mature materiel. Then they went Christian in the 80s, only to go back to secular music and experience late career renaissances on the Adult charts. Which, I guess, makes this Dion's Street Legal. Checks out. Street Legal was big in the UK. I would put this album at 2.5--not distasteful, but nothing stands out. Since Dion has disowned the album, I will round down.
hmmm... hard to pin down what it was exactly about this album that didn't click with me. i found the scant lore about this album (produced by phil spector, delayed release for a year, dion wound up disowning this record, it found later acclaim... somehow) more interesting than the album itself. nothing here grabbed me sonically (aside from in and out of the shadows, though i had heard that one before), but it was a pleasant enough listen to. highlights - in and out of the shadows
Not terrible, but there's nothing particularly good about it either. Mediocre 60s impersonation from the 70s. No one needs to hear this before they die. Favorite song: in and out of the shadows
This was a rough listen. Slow, poor vocals, and reminiscent of some poor bastard who's trying to make it big so he spends his last dime on studio time and somehow it made it onto this list. 3/10
This is slower than I'd like. Reminds me of pre-disco Bee Gees minus all the nice harmonies. By (He's Got) The Whole World in His Hands, I'm ready for this to be over. Since it's not The Worst, it gets a 2.
A bit too long and a bit too tame. If I listened to this at a different time it might hit differently, but getting through the 1hr18min runtime was a slog. I wish there was just.. more? More risk, more expression, more creativity. Bonus point for Only You Know — which is fantastic.
4 tracks in and I'm making bets with myself about whether this album will go above 60 bpm at all... truly horrible so far. "(he's got the) whole world in his hands" sounds like it was recorded in a can by a potato. New York City Song is decent but still ... never gonna listen to this album again.
Uninspiring at best. Bonus point for being short.
i love the life story of this italian uncle and while this wasn't for me my girlfriend loves him so i do too
Feels like music for people who don't like music.
Typical 70s easy listening schmaltz that was ruined by Phil Spector's Ball of Mush production style. I think. The songs may or may not be hiding under there but not 100% sure.
Some enjoyable music, but largely ignorable.
2.5
I hate the sneaky combining albums thing on streaming, almost made me listen to triple the length of this snoozefest
..
Peepeepoopoo
Accidentally listened to the double album so I need to rate this based on the real album. It was fine. Very reminiscent of Runaround Sue that I knew this guy from. Preferred the back half of the double album but that doesn't count!!
listening to this album made me realize that the sound I associate with "oldies" isn't necessarily older music, but kind of that Phil Specter sound (derogatory)
Slow songs, maybe one good one.
Having also listened to a lot of oldies falling asleep, I apparently loved Dion without knowing it. This album ruins my childhood memories. Stone this man to death* already. *this is not a serious threat to any authorities reading this
Pretty boring. Sorry, Dion. I didn't hate the New York song.
Even Phil Spector’s work can sound cliche. Weird to hear his production on this album.
Dire
You can hear the touch Phil Spector on this album. It’s decent but probably not worthy of the list.
Not my style
407/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
20 songs! It's so haphazard, could have been really good with half as many songs. I wish I hadn't read the stuff about how Dion came to regret the Phil Spector production by the time it was released. But I can see how the lack of cohesion happened. 2/5.
I didn't like this. Maybe I'm just feeling grouchy, but I don't think that's it. It evoked exactly nothing. Is that worse than bad? I don't know, fuck it 2 stars. Added In and Out of the Shadows to my playlist but I've already forgotten how it sounds.
eeeee
The songs are too slow and too intentionally "anthemic" for my taste. The entirety of the record, particularly side 1, has a sluggish tempo and poor production on most instruments. Your Own Back Yard is an exception, having good-sounding guitars that make up most of the instrumentation. Dion's voice is fine but heavily marred by clumsy mixing and the compositions being kind of stale. I could tell this was getting a mediocre rating from me when I read the review telling me I could stop after song #8, and felt nothing but relief. Not that the album's terrible – in fact, it's tailored to be pretty listenable, especially if you aren't listening closely – but it's by no means great. (He's Got) The Whole World in His Hands, more noticeably than any other track, showcases some egregiously bad production, particularly on the vocals. It maxes out pretty much any time Dion makes a noise, creating a distracting static-y effect that drags down the entire song. Not that the other instruments were really helping. In and out of the Shadows has essentially the same problem. The entire record has a dated, gramophone-era feel, and not for the better. 1975 was the year of A Night at the Opera, Wish You Were Here, One of These Nights, Physical Graffiti... if you want to compete with the big guns for success, particularly success on what should be a highly competitive compilation of modern Western music (this list!), you need to do better. 2/5 Key tracks: Your Own Back Yard, Only You Know
Hmmm....I struggled with this 1. Good production. Nice sounds but very 1970's, which is not a bad thing. My sense is the songs just done hit hard, they're a little weak.
Should have stayed in 1975. Nothing offensive or memorable. Felt like listening to Barry Manilow. 2 stars because it didn't offend.
2.5 Voice totally fine but the album did mostly nothing for me
Easy on the ears. But really nothing remarkable on.
Took heed to listen to the first 8 tracks and I’m glad I did. The full double album would’ve been too much for me. Suprisingly found the middle of the album to be the most enjoyable. Another one where it was okay but wouldn’t listen again. High 2/low 3
Folksy, easy listening kinda vibe. It's technically adept, and Dion is definitely a talented guy. Just not my thing.
More wish washy music from convicted murderer Phil Spector
So cheesy my cholesterol levels went up by 500%
This felt inoffensive in a way that offended me.
Utterly forgettable faux soul pop music. This was boring as hell.
I wouldn't listen to it again.
This feels like it's looking for something it isn't finding. The sound is full but not doing that much and his voice is good but not really going anywhere. I wish I had liked this more. It seems like it was something that had the tools to turn into something more and didn't pull it off.
I played it all the way through twice and could not retain anything. Fine easy listening music. Just not that interesting. Creepy album cover.
Maybe there's a reason (murderous) Phil Spector shelved this. This was ok, kind of generic pop, nothing new about it, not sure why on this list.
Very bland pop album Standout song Your own back yard
Would not have called it rock.
Forgettable for me.
Bit creepy bit crap
You can definitely feel the Spector on this one. Felt kinda underwhelming, nothing stuck out too much. 2 stars
Lite märklig platta och artist.
This isn't great, possibly the worst sounding Phil Spector production I have ever listened to. It sounds like there is a build up of fluff on the stylus, despite listening to it on a lossless stream. Dion's voice sounds OK (although he looks a little like Billy Jean King on the cover) but the mono mix is muddy. Apparently there are three drummers, three bass players, multiple guitarists and loads of horns and strings, as is Spector's norm, but it all gets lost in a listless, lifeless mix. The songs sit somewhere between Edison Lighthouse and Bay City Rollers - light inoffensive MOR '70s pop with a little bit of country and droop thrown in. Apparently this was a big influence on Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream, no idea why.
Bit boring not really my thing 2/5
Kuulostaa suurelta tuotannolta, on montaa soitinta ja taustalaulajaa ja biisit on oikein kauniisti tuotettu. Mikäs tässä siis kuunnellessa. Paitsi etten jaksaisi yli tuntia, cmon eka biisi ois voinut olla puolet lyhyempi. Kivasti laulut kyllä välttää liian imelyyden, se ei aiheuta turhautumista vaikka on saksofoni!
flavorless nonsense
Sort of boring and one note. Nothing really wrong with it: Dion has a good voice and can express some emotion, but I felt nothing for this.
This album was long. It seemed about 3 or 4 hours.
Slow paced echo vocal love songs produced by Phil Spector and showcasing Dion from the Belmonts fame....zzzzzz.
Dion is known for a couple of the most lively and infectious songs of the 50's and 60s with "Runaround Sue" and "The Wanderer" - this album isn't anything like either of those songs. Dion himself reportedly disavowed this album, saying that the production made it sound like "funeral music" This makes sense considering that it was produced by Phil Spector. This wasn't the first time he took the life from something, and it wouldn't be the last...
Nicely produced, well played, and well written songs. Vocals are pretty good as well. Unfortunately the songs don’t do very much for me.
Before its time and by that I mean this belongs in the 80's, the most snoozeworthy decade for music.
Dion is not a name I was familiar with. But “Born to be With You” is his 16th of 40 albums. And while maybe no one is familiar with his mid-career stuff, many more would recognize R&B/doo-wop hits “Teenager in Love” (1959) and “The Wanderer” (1961). I guess some older than me would be able to tell you those were Dion (& the Belmonts), but like most doo-wop hits from that era I couldn’t begin to tell the artists apart. Despite their impact on the culture of the post-war era, doo-wop groups are practically non-existent on the 1001. Most late 50s/early 60s stuff on the list is R&B, country, jazz, blues, world music, and early rock ‘n’ roll. Doo-wop fills an important place in the evolution of pop and rock music, and I would have liked to see more like Dion’s “Teenager in Love.” But not Dion’s “Runaround Sue” - that one is an almost cruel shaming of whoever Sue was. Dion evolved over 16 albums to the point where he made “Born to be With You” with Phil Spector in 1975. At first, it is totally missing the appeal of any of those doo-wop songs (though of course those weren’t written by Dion). It's pretty boring pop ballads until “Good Lovin Man,” including the most uninspired version of “(He’s Got) The Whole World In His Hands” I’ve ever heard. I was going to say that after “Good Lovin’ Man,” things were more interesting from that point on. But it turns out the 1 hour and 18 minute version I listened to was two Dion albums combined! All the more varied songs with R&B, doo-wop, and folk influences were from a different album. “Streetheart” opens with a cover of Smokey Robinson’s “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” which can’t hold a candle to Robinson’s original, but at least is better than “(He’s Got) The Whole World In His Hands.” That’s a different album though, so the improvement I observed is being wiped from the record.
Meh. I don’t see what the big deal is.
Doet me niets, niet slecht verder.
Fine but didn't wow me
Leider ned ganz das album woni am sunntig abig nach 11 stund fahrt möcht lose, wird schonigslos und mit viel selbstvertraue geskipppt und zwei Stunde Stau hindehergschosse
Not really my style. Only got through part of the album.
At first I was like “not too bad, nice vibe”, And then I was like “wow, these songs sound the same”, And then I was like “so this is what it felt like to get trapped on an elevator in the year I was born” And then I was like “I dunno if I can finish this” And then I was like “only 6 songs to go” And then it was over.
I love Dion’s classic hits like The Wanderer and Runaround Sue, but this was just mid. Bland and repetitive.
Ugh.
An hour and 20 minutes is just way too long for a mediocre album that is entirely forgettable and just blends into one long heap of normal. In the words of Randy Jackson, "that's a no for me, dawg"
Wasn't sure if this was THE Dion of Dion and the Belmonts fame at first looking at the release date, but sure enough it is. After listening, I wasn't wowed or anything. Sounds like the production and recording process was quite tumultuous. I don't really see the significance of this album to be honest. Would've preferred something from earlier in Dion's catalogue if anything.
Any individual songs was alright apart from the particularly myopically, plainly, painfully heterosexual ones, but taken all together, it felt like getting teeth pulled
Too much like easy listening for my enjoyment.
It’s fine but not especially memorable.
It turns out that this sort of easy listening music is not really my thing. Maybe its just this album, since there are some weird things with this one, but we'll get there. Firstly, I looked into Dion, and he seems to be mostly known for '50s and '60s Doo-Wop albums (I listened to some of it, this stuff is actually pretty fun), but on Born To Be With You, he slows things way down and focuses on writing heartfelt songs with some (admittedly) very nice vocals. However, this album is probably more well known for being produced by Beatles collaborator and genuine menace to society Phil Spector. While there are moments where his production *sorta* works here, he was a bizarre choice for an album like this, and it really doesn't do it for me. Most notably are songs where, to my ear, it really feels like Phil decides to assert himself, (He's Got) The Whole World In His Hands stands out in particular. It really feels like he just kinda brickwalled it, and while the result is interesting, almost psychedelic, it just is not what this album needed. I also sort of have an issue with a lot of the songs here on a sort of construction level. For the length and slow pacing of a lot of these songs, they just aren't strong enough to carry the album. There are moments that stand out, like I mentioned earlier, I like his vocals, and I think the sax parts on this are great. I also remember a lot of the lyrics being pretty interesting. This isn't enough to carry the album though, from what I've read, it seems that Dion himself has kind of disowned it. I didn't absolutely hate this, I just don't really see myself returning to it.
This album walks a fine line between easy listening and muzak. It is wholly unremarkable. Nothing bad, nothing offensive, and nothing memorable (not that those are the things needed to make something memorable).
I didn't know Dion before and now I wish I remained ignorant. Couldn't finish even a third of this. 78 whole minutes would be a form of torture. That said the recording is good quality, it's just that the musical content is utterly lackluster 1.8
A little country, a little gospel, a lotta tediousness.
I agree with the ARTIST that this is 'funeral music' unfortunately the funeral was for my ears. It's not the worst thing I've heard, but it's also not the best. Background music at a wake maybe.
70s pop. Easy listening. Very unremarkable.
Ça sonne comme un gars washed up qui a fait trop de coke et qui se calice encore plus que nous des tounes qu'y chante. Une fois en 1984, je suis tombé en bécyke à pédales; un moment qui a la même importance historique que cet album.
i think Phil Spector should have died or at the very least retired after the early 60s. not only because he was a violent psychopath who held people at gunpoint, not only because he abused anyone unlucky enough to know him, and not only because he shot Lana Clarkson in the head with a .38 snub-nosed revolver and killed her, but because he just kind of started sucking? like, even late Spector productions that are well received, like All Things Must Pass or John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band come off as bombastic and overcrowded to me. you can have a good song like "Instant Karma" or "My Sweet Lord" and then here comes Spector producing it with the same grandma's fireplace kitsch as "Happy Xmas (War is Over)". maybe you like "Happy Xmas", but you can't deny that the song is a little bit much. even the rawer Lennon cuts like "Mother" still have that "performing in a concert hall" reverb to it that every single Spector song has. a man can't perform a song alone on a piano, it has to be a piano at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, WHOAHHHHH. it feels like the songwriter has to work around him and his abundance to get anywhere, and Phil very much didn't like that. what i'm saying is that late Spector is only as good as the artist he's got locked in his basement putting down endless takes. they've got to have the sauce to be heard above the Chinese Hell of Cloying Orchestras. the guy who sang Runaround Sue does not have the sauce.
A collection of 20 b-side rejects.
5/10 Meh. A distinctly average pop country rock album dragged up slightly by a good voice and the Spector production tricks. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but I didn’t love the songwriting and found it a little boring. Best: Make the Woman Love Me
It’s just an okay album. I don’t think this showed off Dion‘s pipes at all. I blame Phil Spector. What a disservice to a great vocalist.
I had insanely high hopes from the guy who did The Wanderer and Runaround Sue only for them to be completely and utterly dashed
Breaks zero ground
Not sure why this is included in the list. Very boring, very mediocre pop songs. It is not bad music but not engaging in any way
Born To Be Forgotten
It's alright, but I couldn't finish the album - too wishy washy a sound.
One of the songs sounded like that song “ I built the things down in Africa “ or however that song goes . Some of them were good . They all sounded the same . Why the flying flipping flip dickety duck is it so fucking long like please get a grip and make 2 albums .
so fricking long, why was it so long. my favourites were only you know and oh the night. would of been actually enjoyable if it wasnt so long, if this album was like playing in a restaurant then id be like oh this is a lovely vibe in here. but yeah couldnt get into it soz
Blind album and artist. Was not impressed and this album was dragging so much by the end that I almost started skipping songs.
Didn’t sit through it. Classic rock vibe, maybe later.
Hope.
感觉要给我唱天上去了
I do not fuck with this
ok. it's nothing incredible but it's hard to say it's "bad". 8 tracks, 8 mid songs. 4,5/10
Not too bad I was very worried after hearing the start of the first song, but I felt like things picked up after that.
I had the sense that decent talent was squandered on this boring album.
Music to forget you are listening to music to.
Schmalzy.
What the hell? I’m concerned when the first song sounds like the outro to Saturday Night Live. It’s as if the idea was to put all of Dion’s most mediocre songs in one album. One listen to his classic album Dion with Abraham, Martin, and John, Purple Haze and He Looks A lot Like Me has me scratching my head on why this excruciating set of strummers is worthy of a listen. Unless, god help us, there are more Dion albums on the list.
En neutral vindpust
2.4 2x catch up 4/15
Vibe
I liked a couple songs, gospel he's got the whole world in his hands though didn't match the overall vibe
I thought for a while that I was kind of liking this but by the end I was really tired of it. 2.5
Points for looking so, so gay. Too bad the music is like generic-brand elton john. Not bad to listen to, but ephemeral and a snoozefest. 2 or 3 depending on if I'm feeling generous.
11/1001 This was a weird album for me. They only Dion I was familiar with was 60s Do Wop Dion. Great energy, toe tapping, hip swingin music that was always fun to hear. I knew being that this album was from 1975, the Do Wop would probably being nonexistent, but the vocals and energy should still be there. Welp, I was wrong. It took be a couple tries a different points in the day to listen to this. It is very low energy vocal and rather grey non-quite-folk, not-really-rock, almost-but-not-blues instrumentals. The topics are about loss and addictions but the lyrics are generic and shallow. Things I wrote in my notebook as a heart broken 16 y/o. Dion definitely made a conscious decision to reinvent himself from the Do Wopper he is most known for. He was very much influenced by Bob Dylan and Billy Joel, and he blends those influences rather poorly. Overall, this was a struggle to get through. Spotify actually has it combined with another album, but thankfully I looked up the track list elsewhere before I listen to 78 minutes instead of the 38 that is the actual album. I don’t think I would’ve made it. After that overwhelming negative review I will say this album isn’t garbage, I just thought/feel that these albums were going to be eye opening in someway. I don’t really get why it’s on this list.
boring
He just goes on like this for over an hour....
Meh
Seemingly only on the list because Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream cited it as an influence. Unfortunately, boring as sin. Whatever.
Not noteworthy for me
Didn’t finish it
далековато
Nah, not YOU, Dion.
Can't say much about the album, it didn't impress me in any particular way. Sonically, the mix was strange, vocals are getting lost a bit, and the rhythm section and the melodies are way too close to each other. Also, the dynamics just aren't there, the songs seems to be at pretty similar volume throughout. The songs sound similar and nothing stands out about any of them. I feel like the album could have been a lot better, at least for me personally, had the sound engineering side been improved.
1. born - 1.5 2. make - 1.5 3. yard - 1.5 4. handz - 1 5. knouu - 1.5 6. zong - 2 7. zhadouuz - 1.5 8. good - 1.5 9. baby - 1 10. thingz - 1.5 11. man - 1.5 12. queen - 1.5 13. tonight - 1.5 14. more - 1.5 15. love - 1 16. hey - 2 17. night - 1 18. give - 1.5 19. boy - 1 20. heart - 1.5
New to me. Definitely has a Father John Misty vibe goin' on. Worth a listen, but really doesn't grab me enough for many re-listens.
Very schmalzy arrangements
Ssssh. Don’t tell anyone, but I quite liked this. Highlight was ‘New York City Song’. I’ll only give it a 2 stars as don’t want to draw too much attention to myself.
I quite liked this, which surprised me. The first few songs really grabbed me, but it did seem to drag on towards the end. The arrangements were good, but I do wonder if Phil Spector's involvement helped make this album what it is.
Sometimes I have nothing more to say that this just really isn't my cup of tea and that I just can't hear or understand the quality in this record.
Honestly wasn't bad, there's just better stuff for my tastes out there
Why oh why do I need to listen to this before I die.
At first I thought this sounded like Counting Crows or Billy Joel, then it veered into John Lennon territory. I like older Dion better, though. 2/5
Never heard of this jabroni before today. Now I know why. He’s like Father John Misty without the edge or cynicism, which is a no from me dawg. This album is like a collection of all the songs George Harrison didn't pick for "All Things Must Pass", which makes sense since the homicidal Phil Spector produced both. The one highlight for me was that I swear SNL based their “goodnights and goodbyes” song on the title track…
I liked this more than I thought and appreciated the evolution from 50s/60os bops to more groove and yacht-rock vibes. I'd give it a 2.5, but lowering down to 2 because I didn't find it that memorable.
No my jam.
That one effect they use throughout the album with the double echo feels like they are trying their best to make it sound interesting.
Uninspired and boring
I get it
Very uninteresting
Cheeks 1.5
Not my scene
Not sure why this is on the list. It’s of a time, and that time is not now.
Just not into it - like his earlier stuff though
Did not like.
Tepid, empty songwriting with a decidedly Christian bent to it. Cheesy crooning that doesn't earn any kind of emotional response. Really only noteworthy because Phil Spector did the production, and he's not exactly at his best here anyway. Another bizarre pick for an essential albums list.
There was nothing that really stood out about this record beyond hearing Phil Spector’s production all over it. There was nothing bad about it. It felt like music that was made to play in a grocery store
waiting for the day we land on phil spector christmas or all things must pass so i can give him his two deserved flowers. i dont even necessarily dislike his production style but it’s so thin on this record it gives me a headache. doesn’t help that there isn’t much substance in the majority of tracks; they’d be better suited for an obscure needle drop in a 70s set coming of age movie New York City song is nice though! i wish there were a couple more tracks like it
More blandness.
Its very MOR - I'm guessing my mom would be a big fan. Had to google him and was very surprised to see he was the singer of one of my favourite American 60's tunes : "Runaround Sue". Sadly this album does not get close to replicate the perfection of that tune. Feeling mean today so its a 2.
I get it, they included this album because this was supposed to be is big comeback and they even had Phil Spector for the occasion. But nobody cared about this album, it wasn't good and Dion failed his comeback. So why should this album be here? Because the intentions behind it are more important than its actual content? Album sucks.
A couple of really good songs on here. "Only You Know" is a repeat listen. Unfortunately it's on a double-length album full of half-finished songs that sound very much like each other. Pleasant but really forgettable.
This album displays some good musicianship, songwriting, and production. A few songs nearly convince me this is worthy of four stars. Unfortunately it's also bogged down by even more dull and/or cheesey songs that make the overall album pretty snooze worthy.
I don’t really get this one. I really tried to pay attention to all aspects, and nothing was clicking. His voice was rather aggravating and scratching my ears and the rest just kinda blah. I recognize that there’s some good aspects, but not impressive.
Is it me or was this a weird selection? Are we getting Paul Anka and Neil Sedaka later period next? Not even being judgy; just seems so out of place. I mean ... it's not *overtly* terrible, but it is nearly-overtly-cheesy... I feel like I just spent a half hour hearing this on AM radio while bouncing around the back seat of my parents' station wagon at age 5 on the way to my grandparents house which would potentially be a nice nostalgic mental trip, but ... as I'd never heard (of) any of these songs a little Yacht Rock trip of Ambrosia or Pablo Cruise or similar mid70s smooth pop would have been better. Actually why tf is Al Stewart not on this list?!? 4/10 2 stars
Very stylish to look at. Quite boring to listen to.
rájöttem, hogy két album van fent egyként spotify-on úgyhogy úgy nem olyan hosszú, eredetileg már untam tbh. jó kis dallamok, nagyon könnyű hallgatni, de semmi extra, nincs túl kiemelkedő dal se. ilyen '90s rom-com zene, háttérnek okés.
Kedvenc/Favourite: New York City Song Elég felejthető volt számomra, semmi kiemelkedő. Össze is folyt kicsit, a szöveg sem nyűgözött le. El lehet hallgatni, de van egy olyan érzésem, hogy ha ilyesmihez lenne kedvem, mást választanék. It was pretty forgettable for me, nothing outstanding. It seemed a bit monotone, the lyrics didn't impress me either. It can be listened to, but I have a feeling that if I were in the mood for something like this, I'd choose something else.
yawn.
Dion fue líder del grupo Doo-Woop con los Belmonts y luego un rokero en solitario. Todo ello en la época pre-British Invasion. I wonder why, A teenager i love o Runaround Sue son claros ejemplos de su éxito. Este es un disco especial, por razones evidentes: Spector. Apenas dos o tres canciones escritas por Dion, el resto son temas compuestos por el equipo habitual de Spector, con él mismo como autor de varias canciones que además produce 6 de los 8 temas del álbum. Apertura gloriosa con Born to Be with You de Don Robertson. Ese saxo resuena a Spector pero también a la E. Street. La percusión, el muro de sonido... estar como en casa. Gracias Phill, gracias Dion...
Meh, nothing too amazing. Guy seems super talented and the lyrics seem smart, but not my jam
Dreary
Pretty bland Tbh
This was not enjoyable. 1.5
There is far too much of this but I like Dion's musical journey
I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this. Also, I think it's possible for music to be so inoffensive it loops around to offending me a little. 2.5
A placid and schlocky collection of songs drowning in the horrible mush of Phil Spector’s 70s production style. This is more restrained on the Gerry Goffin-written Only You Know, the highlight of the record alongside the two non-Spector-produced songs where you can actually hear what’s going on in the mix. Otherwise it varies between dull and unlistenable, with the over-long opener going absolutely nowhere, and the god awful rendition of He’s Got The Whole World in His Hands plodding through 3 days of reverb
a co-production between two artists from a bygone era which was promptly disowned by both of them, and for good reason. but oh, wait, the dude from Primal Scream said he liked it, so now it's a part of music history. Phil Spector's production fails on every level. these songs sound absolutely awful; there are basic errors in mixing that turn some of these tracks into non-starters, either because they're unintelligible or because they sound like lifeless, funereal dirges. at all times, there's too much going on. Dion's vocal performances range from tolerable to tuneless. hard pass. decent 3/10.
My mother-in-law *loved* this guy. High point of her youth was seeing him in concert, apparently. If it was anything like this, I can't imagine why.
The album includes themes of love, personal struggle, and introspection, but it sounds a bit too much like Christian Pop Rock for me. It got to a point where I was praying for the album to end. Favorite Song: "Born To Be With You"
Not terrible but was a bit boring tbh
"Six of the eight tracks were produced by Phil Spector, who had expressed admiration of Dion's earlier work with his doo-wop group, Dion and the Belmonts." Me too, Phil. Me too.
I thought the first 3 songs were pretty good, then it nosedived spectacularly.
There was enough here to intrigue me, but while listening no particular songs stood out and I can't say I remember much specific either. I do wonder, how famous and/or critically aclaimed it was at the time and does that warrant an inclusion on this list.
Gibt mir gar nix. Aber ist nicht kacke.
I already hate this album cover. This is.... not good to me. Started out ok and may have had a couple moments, but then I'm really turned off by He Got The Whole World In His Hands. What the hell kinda production is on that. Sounds like some shite. Part of this kinda sounds like what Spector did with the Beatles Let It Be. Adding unnecessary string arrangements. This just isn't for me.
Forget what's written on the album cover - this album is a typical Spector wall-of-sound record, which for many artists meant involved included giving up their identity and giving complete control to an out-of-control producer with illusions of grandeur. All these albums sound exactly the same. It's a boring affair. 2/5
Pretty forgettable album.
It's weird how long musicians wanted to work with Phil Spector.
love dion back when he was with the Belmonts
I remember when DION was just Dion. Anyway, when I was searching for this album on YouTube music, Celine Dion came up in the search results. Perhaps I would have enjoyed that more. Imagine if John Denver and James Taylor had sex on heroin and wrote some songs, and Clarence Carter wrote the B side to the third single, then Billy Joel used that as inspiration for a concept album. MeDIONcre, is that a word? It is now. This album was full of meDIONcre songs. I'd rather listen to this than Kid Rock or Morrissey, so that's good, right? Two stars.
I didn’t know about this artist, and my life has changed absolute zero.
Was worse than I thought it would be. Disappointing and boring, the pinnacle was the cover of. He’s got this whole world in his hands. 2/5.
Man, heroin is no joke. This album could either require more time to sink in or It's just fairly bland. It has a really interesting vibe and nice touches in places, but it feels like it's trying way too hard to score a hit and much of it falls flat. It also feels all over the place. Still, I'm inclined to listen to this more thinking I could be missing something.
Does anyone really remember this kind of music fondly? It’s not bad per se, but there’s nothing special about it (no, not even the Wall of Sound).
bit of an unusual album. Very melancholic for the most part until the last song. Not sure I'll revisit.
I don't like the direction Dion took with this album musically, I preferred his older Do Wap stuff. The Wanderers and Run Around Sue are songs that I immediately associate with Dion, not this boring drivel I have just listened to.
Didn’t like any of these songs. But it’s not terrible.
No idea why this album is on this list.
This album was so boring and bland. While looking up the artist I saw that one of his albums was “runaround sue”. I can’t remember coming across it on this list, but that album is so so much better than this turd.
Not my speed whatsoever lol
what a boring cunt
A handful of tunes, an awful lot of crap
It's so close to a 1 it's scary, but the music isn't too offensive or dull to warrant it. It is rather dull though, more than enough for a 2. I have no idea what was supposed to be essential about these 8 easy listening pop throwaways.
Feels like it's never ending
today is the first day of the rest of your days so listen to some better music
Jeg hørte det meste.. Det var aaaalt for langt! Men til albummets forsvar, så hørte jeg Born to be with you /streetheart.... Så et dobbelt album..
A bit of an AM radio snooze fest really. Luckily it's only short. Fave? New York City Song?
Very 70s. Reminds me a lot of early solo George Harrison, but it's not working for me as much. I think I don't really connect with his voice/melodies, which is entirely a personal preference thing. Oh and I'm getting a lot of Lennon on 'Baby Let's Stick Together'. This sounds kind of like 70's Beatles imitation. Except there's no Admiral Halsey. I feel like I've heard this sound before. He's not bad by any means. He's just not providing me with anything that stands out. And the songs are really long. It's funny, on Spotify they paired this album into one with 'Streetheart', which apparently people don't like as much. But I much preferred the songs off of the 'Streetheart' portion. I noticed he didn't write a lot of the material here. It just feels to me like an album that exists. It made basically no impact on me. But his other stuff sounds like an improvement of this. And even the Phil Spector production doesn't do it for me.
Even worse than his daughter Celine
Meh. These were OK: - Your own back yard - Born to be with you / streetheart - Good lovin' man 2 definitely for me on this album, was really pretty boring
Just not for me. Hits a lot of generic 70s vibes and the covers do not stand out.
No hook, line or sinker. Completely forgettable.
It was ok, but I listened to it and 2 days later I couldn't remember anything about it. Going to give it a strong 2 based on that.
This was a boring, slow and drawn out, warbled listen. It also has a smeared and muddy mix.
Too long and produced by a literal murderer so any good parts of this album are negated
I’m not sure who this album was for. It’s not for me! I can’t believe that this was his 12th album… are they all this mid?
truly ahead of its time: it sounds like overly earnest cheese from the 80s, but it’s overly earnest cheese from the 70s!
Doesn't really do anything of note
Too long. 2.5
I had briefly skipped into this, earlier today, and then, away from the computer, already outlined a 1 or 2 star review in my head, scathing!, but now that I am back and listening again, scratch that. This is the guy from "The Wanderer"? Huh. Not an album that strikes me as being important, more of a bit toothless bland of music I've heard elsewhere, but some good songs on here. Mellow. It's quite nice actually. [...] Part III in the review timeline: that sensation has now worn off. 2 songs remain. In terms of Did I need to hear this, it's back to a 2.
The cover feels like Dion is staring right into my soul while I unfortunately have to tell him I didn't like the album
A little classic old school
It got me wondering, can "the Woman" really be your "baby" if she does not (yet, perhaps) love you? Beyond that, there's not much here for me except for the reverb. Never been a fan of Phil Spector's sound. Dion was right when he said the production makes the album sound like funeral music. But the songs aren't much either. Though I do like Mott the Hoople's version of Your Own Backyard.
Meh. This seems to be one of the albums that you're supposed like because it's trendy. Perhaps it would have better if Phil Spector left it on the shelf?
Not quite my speed. Not terrible but yeah. 2.5/5
2.4 This album features decent singing and song writing. But there is no great hit song that is very rememberable. Decent easy listening but this album should be nowhere near an all time list.
There is nothing wrong with this album per se. There is everything wrong in citing it in a list of the 1000 albums to listen to before I die because it almost killed me with boredom.
Total snooze fest
Sounds like something that was released 50 years ago
Thoughts before listening: I know absolutely nothing about Dion. I'm going to say it's 70s singer songwriter style soft rock based on the cover, although I'd assume it's got something else going for it to end up on this list. Review: So this is the 50s doo-wop guy of Dion and the Belmonts with a singer songwriter album produced by Phil Spector. Apparently this was mostly ignored in its time, but started getting name dropped as an influence in the 90s from some big time musicians. Its just fine to me. Pretty understated for a Phil Specter project, and none of the songs are really standing out to me. I think the best one I heard was "Your Own Backyard" which I have added to my playlist. Overall this is pretty boring and I'm giving it 2-stars.
Not bad, but not very interesting either. No real standout songs. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
I think all of this was new music to me. An ok listen but nothing that memorable for me.
Didn't want to like this as much as I did (which still wasn't much). I was surprised by some nice, smooth bass runs (If I can Just Get Through). Saxophone saved some songs (eg. Born to Be with You). Ended up adding More to You to my music because of how airy-jazzy-funky it was.
If bland corporate coffee shops were a thing in the 70s this it what they'd be playing
I just really like young Dion (old Dion?) so even though this wasn’t quite to my tastes it was perfectly okay. I’d be happy if my mom really liked this or something.
Inoffensive and boring really 1.5 stars
Not my cup of tea
Standard 70s male songfest, DEF not my style, not something I would have listened to back then, and not really something is listen to now, but I can tolerate it better now than I would have then. I'll give the guy 2 stars for doing something meaningful with his time.
This stunk
I have literally almost no opinion of this album. It was kind of just on while I started work.
Just a reminder, when you listen on spotify, it merges a second album as part of this one, but the original is only the first 8 tracks. I would recommend you only listen to those 8 and not subject yourself to 1hr 15mins of this one and move on to the next
This was an easy going listen, I enjoyed the covers including, The Whole World In His Hands and The Way You Do The Things You Do. I also enjoyed the sax on Streetheart. Yet still this wasn't really up my alley. Good music just not for me.
A record so heartbroken, that it felt comical to me after three songs. I couldn't help but to burst out in laughter for the rest of the album. Ballad after ballad after ballad after ballad after ballad after ballad after ballad And then finally one song to make you feel half alive.
Not for me
It's like Elton John but bad
Boring
It was OK and didn't really click with anything
No bad, kind of chill music. Nothing real memorable to me but it would be nice background music. I like his earlier work a lot more and I'm not so familiar with this later stuff but I will have to give it a chance.
Same sort of situation as yesterday’s album by The Police - objectively it’s fine, but I didn’t enjoy it at all. Very bland and unnecessarily long.
2/5. The songs are nice and chill but feels so unoriginal. The wall of sound offered by Phil Spector drives this album because the songs are pretty generic. It's an album I might find in thrift store playing on the speakers, not sure I would have needed to listen to this one but it wasn't terrible. Best Song: Born To Be With You, New York City Song, Make The Woman Love Me
Eh, it's fine? I didn't enjoy this, but it's not exactly bad music.
WTF why? Your Own Back Yard is a little bit of Velvet Underground smack music which is cool, I guess.
This should not be over an hour. What a snoozefest. Phil Spector was such a one trick pony when it came to production, and his other tricks... well, let's not go there.
I get it, Dion DiMucci is a legend for the depth and breadth of what he conveyed in his expressive musical styles. Also that this specific record, 1 of ~40 he released in his career, was prominently produced by Phil Spector, who should have added more dimension to the sound, but may have left it more flat. To my taste this feels so earnest and self-indulgent, not to mention conveying creepy 'romantic' tactless male manipulation, warbling "Make the woman love me, and I'll take care of the rest..." The vocal style (at least on this record) reminds me of Mick Hucknall of Simply Red, another unnervingly over-earnest crooner. Yes, this record is noteworthy, but not on my list.
Meh. Boring.
barf
I’m sorry to write this is a clear example of mediocrity. The songs are boring and uninteresting and even the production by Phil Spector is forgettable.
I thought this was kind of boring and badly produced(?). Especially "Whole World In His Hands" sounded very tinny. I kinda liked the blend between '60s folk and '70s soft rock (again ? idk how to talk about genres) but nothing really stood out to me.
Suave
It’s infuriating they went with this album OVER “Runaround Sue”. This album, after listening, is completely forgettable with nothing that stands out. Not sure what there's even to say about this, honestly. This is certainly an album. Much too long and never justifies its length. Just keeps going for some reason. Unoriginal. 2/5
Another in a long list of albums that ripped off their song entirely from the black community, spruced it up with good production and sold it to the Mayo Americans. I can see how this album is historically relevant, but good lord why would I ever sit down and listen to this in 2024 (the year of our lord.)