Youth & Young Manhood

This was a nice coincidence, since I just saw this band live in Dublin a few nights ago. I was a big fan of their first 3 albums as a teenager, so this was quite a nostalgic listen for me. In their early phase, their records captured a very youthful and debaucherous energy, which I understandably identified with strongly at the time.

From their 4th album on, however they started writing very hook-driven songs with football chant style choruses. Sex On Fire was particularly offensive - it almost sounds like a different band from the one that recorded this album. Apart from an occasional song on the 4th and 5th album, I pretty much lost interest from then on. They still put on a surprisingly good live show though.

But this first album still really holds up, it's a fantastic debut. I guess it could be considered a bit derivative, since it is so rooted in 70s rock, but it was all new to me at the time! Some of the songwriting is a bit immature, which is to be expected, given the album title. But they improved on that massively on the 2nd album. I think people will be listening to the likes of Red Morning Light, California Waiting, Molly's Chambers and Holly Roller Novocaine for decades to come. Even if the only one they played live on Saturday was Molly's Chambers.

They're like a cover band of their own band. Talented musicians, but there's something soulless about the music. They're like what Gertrude Stein said about Oakland: there's no there there.

based on record sales, this band is much more popular outside the US, e.g. this album sold 218K in the US and 500K in UK. So it may be surprising for Americans to see any of their albums on this list. But having three Kings of Leon albums on the list is completely unnecessary, no matter where you live.

based on record sales, this band is much more popular outside the US, e.g. this album sold 218K in the US and 500K in UK. So it may be surprising for Americans to see any of their albums on this list. But having three Kings of Leon albums on the list is completely unnecessary, no matter where you live.

Probably their best album; scuzzy and lo-fi. No idea how they became so successful though.

Uncomplicated rock 'n' roll with some southern swamp influences: Nonchalant and the perfect music for a rock cafe.

The lead singer sings like he got socked in the face right before the recording started. Molly's Chambers is a trash single. The dynamism is very well thought out, so the album is more than the sum of its parts. And while I'm not enthralled by the parts, the whole is fine.

tää bändi on kyllä niin varman päälle pelaamista. ihan jees nostalgisoida menneen vuosisadan rockia mut voitaisko tällä listalla kuunnella suoraan sitä. ja kaks levyä?? kaks tähteä.

Very raw and bluesy, with a couple of absolute stand out tracks. Not much hint of the juggernaut they would become, but an interesting snapshot of a band on the rise.

Not as good as last Kings of Leon album

It's fine. The dude's voice is a little annoying. I probably wouldn't turn it off if it came on, but I'm not going to choose to listen again, either.

"Shakin your apple right in my face"

I have extremely mixed feelings about this album - and Kings of Leon in general. I really, really enjoy the instruments in this album, and there exists musical ideas that I think rival that of their inspiration- the Strokes. However, I absolutely despise the vocals, and the sub-genre they took the rock music into like Dixie-rock absolutely leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Some stand out tracks T4: Joe's Head (super groovy bass line), T8 - Molly's Chambers (great song, will be on the playlist). This was one of the hardest albums to pick a rating for, so far, just because of how differently I feel about different aspects to the album. I'm just gonna average out and give it a..

3/5

Kind of blah...never could really get into them. 2/5

I've always thought these guys were comically overrated, even before the whole Sex on Fire thing. They just do nothing interesting, and the dude's over the top accent is so grating.

Who would have thought that a bunch of country boys that had been the backing band for their holy-rolling Dad's revival tent tours, would one day break out and make a dixie punk band!? Their sound has matured and evolved over the years, but what an exciting debut this must've been for them.

This is much better than the "Aha Shake Heartbreak" I received some months ago on the 1001 list. It's still not so remarkable, and it will be lost in the history of indie rock from the 2000s, but it's unfair to rate it with three stars when compared with the "Aha Shake Heartbreak."

I'll rate it with 4 stars, but with some effort and considering the best songs, it's a 3.5 album.

“California Waiting”, “Red Morning Light”, “Trani”, “Talihina Sky”

Heard Kings of Leons songs on the radio for 15 yrs, accepted I’ll never understand anything he sings without a lyric sheet

It rocks and it rolls, I had a good enough time (though sometimes I got a craving for a Tom Petty song while listening)

June 29, 2023

Like an opening band that ends up being better than the headliner.

Too much hate here. Absolutely loved this album, so quite possibly the rating is driven by nostalgia. But from the moment I read the review that Caleb's vocals sounded like "a man gargling rocks" I knew I was in. So much better than the polished stadium rock band they became.