The Good, the Bad & the Queen

This is #day473 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… it looks like three Blur albums and one Gorillaz album to hear before you die wasn't enough. This is a low 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day474.

Fine, and some talented people involved, but not very interesting or essential

The Good, the bad & the Queen is a supergroup consisting of members from Blur, The Clash, The Verve and The Africa 70', which is PRETTY eclectic might I say and stacked. The album cover gives off a great feeling and many emotions. One example would be it gives off a very old-timey feel with a familiar voiced man that compliments the feel when people lived life slow. This album isn't too crazy,

It's alright but It's not an album I would seek out again.

Highlight Song/s: History Song

With a lineup like this — Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong, and Tony Allen — you’d expect fireworks. Instead, you get fog. Not in a bad way, necessarily; more in that soft, gray, London-in-winter kind of way. It’s reflective and moody, a record that feels content to hover in the background rather than demand attention.

The musicianship is excellent — how could it not be with this crew? — but the songs seem more about tone than movement. Nothing truly bad here, but nothing that grabs me either. It’s all texture and atmosphere, without much emotional lift.

A fine record to have on, but not one that keeps you coming back.

I used to listen to it a lot when it came out and I was working in an office - it drowned out the rest of the office successfully. This is perfect office work music - unobstrusive enough to fade into the background but interesting enough to listen to for a second here or there, it's mellow and calming but has enough going on rhythmically to keep the energy up, there are hooks with enough verve to occupy the back of your mind but the vocals are delivered in a flat monotone that begs to be ignored by the front, the arrangements are fully fleshed out and varied enough but have a coherent feel for the duration. It's totally fine but really quite boring.

This is like an entire album of gorillaz deep cuts. Thought it started and ended well with a muddled middle.

If Damon Albarn had not made it clear enough in transitioning out of Blur into Gorillaz, the Good, The Bad & The Queen is basically a combination of Blur and Gorillaz, with a Babyshambles vibe filtering throughout the record. This supergroup apparently was able to filter out Damon’s worst impulses and this is a remarkably great record with only a few minor missteps. Herculean is a great introduction and could be a Gorillaz outtake. What is striking about this very English record is how exceptional it is recorded and played. Paul Simonon demonstrates a proficiency only hinted at in the Clash where bass played a distinct role in that band’s sound. The Verve’s guitarist Simon Tong does a stellar job with guitar that serves each song and Tony Allen (Fela Kuti) is a rhythm machine on drums. It’s not what you would expect from this foursome and the record opens up and reveals some special songs with repeated listens. Nature Springs is a magnificent song and I think the heart of the record. The first 4 tracks lay the foundation for the rest of the record. History Song, 80s Life, the beautiful Northern Whale and Kingdom of Doom are as good a run of four songs to open a record as anything Blur put out. The record does tail off in parts, particularly A Soldier’s Tale which is a little dull even though the instrumentation is excellent, it just doesn’t work for me. Same with Three Changes which is a hodgepodge of lyrical nonsense. The repetitive “Not going to be a victim” becomes a bit tiresome. Closer, The Good, The Bad & The Queen is an excellent finish and the lengthiest track in the record. What makes it interesting is that it hints at something next. It’s bold and energetic with everyone involved and at least for this track seemingly connected. I enjoy this far more than Gorillaz and it was this record that, for me, redeemed Damon Albarn as an interesting songsmith after some uneven prior outings. This record too has some lyric bloat but overall a pretty well thought out and developed record. Not perfect but pretty damned good.

This is a really good cohesive album, despite, or maybe because of, there being no standout tracks.

It’s another example of how well Damon Albarn can move from one project to another quite often with different styles.

I like this project because it keeps throwing up albums I meant to get around to listening to but never did. This is definitely one of them. I'm predisposed to like a supergroup combining a member of Blur and a member of The Clash, so I had high hopes.

By all rights I should hate Damon Albarn's singing, and he seems to be floating in and out of tune throughout this record, making the position even more tenuous... but I inexplicably really enjoy it. Although the really high bits on Behind The Sun really tested that enjoyment and I can absolutely understand people hating it.

I have a weird amount of goodwill towards him - he's had a career dominated (as least in the UK) by two big bands, but he constantly has side quests into other, odder, projects. He clearly loves music and to me it's really endearing.

I really enjoyed this record. It may be because I listened to it after waking up far too early while feeling a bit bleurgh, but it just fit the time and feeling perfectly. It felt like a slightly melancholy hug.

I also want to call out one of the most accurate descriptions of my country of birth ever written: "A stroppy little island, of mixed up people".

I think it's more a 4.5 but I'm going for:

4/5

This was a fun album. No real standouts, but I enjoyed it all the way through.

Fairly middling. I'm sure there's already enough Blur & Gorillaz on here. Get off the UK's dick, man.

Decent, relaxing to listen to, but I'm going to be brutally honest: nothing stuck with me.

Everything that this Blur guy does sounds kinda the same and you know what, I'm fine with that

While I liked this album, I feel like nothing on it is sticking with me. I enjoyed listening to it, but I suspect I will forget about it as soon as I move on to the next album. Rightly removed from the 1001. Favorite tracks: Herculean, Green Fields, title track.

1.67

Um disco de sonoridade estranha, que soa por demais frio. Apenas razoável, sem empolgar. Duas faixas apenas, como destaque de interesse: "Herculean" e a faixa título, de encerramento: "The Good, The Bad and The Queen"

With ex-members from Blur and The Clash, plus Tony fucking Allen I really anticipated that this would be a previously undiscovered gem, and I would love it after listening for the first time. Big disappointment. This just sounds like most of the other unenthusiastic indie I've heard from this era of music. It just plods along at a lazy pace, with each track sounding like the last. Instrumentation is well-played, but there is simply nothing I can get excited about listening to it.

I dig this album, it's fun and catchy. Danger Mouse's production is really great. It just still doesn't feel essential enough for this list though. I don't really see much long-term influence from it.

I'm not sure how this escaped my notice when it came out. I wish it wouldn't have. This album is going into my collection today.

I'm only halfway through listening, and I'm rating it at least ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is possibly the best "never heard of this band" album I have had on this list so far (270/1,001)

4.5

Nothing really stood out, okay for background music.