| A Grand Don't Come for Free | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by The Streets | ||||
| Released | 18 May 2004 | |||
| Genre | Alternative hip hop Electronica UK garage Rap |
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| Length | 50:36 | |||
| Label | Locked On, 679 | |||
| Producer | Mike Skinner | |||
| The Streets chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Grand Don't Come for Free | ||||
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A Grand Don't Come for Free is the second studio album from British garage and Hip hop act The Streets. It was released on 18 May 2004 and is listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It is a concept album which follows the story of its protagonist's relationship with a girl named Simone.
Contents |
All songs written and Composed by Mike Skinner
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It Was Supposed to Be So Easy" | 3:56 |
| 2. | "Could Well Be In" | 4:24 |
| 3. | "Not Addicted" | 3:40 |
| 4. | "Blinded by the Lights" | 4:45 |
| 5. | "Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way" | 4:36 |
| 6. | "Get Out of My House" (featuring MC C-Mone) | 3:52 |
| 7. | "Fit But You Know It" | 4:14 |
| 8. | "Such a Twat" | 3:48 |
| 9. | "What Is He Thinking?" | 4:41 |
| 10. | "Dry Your Eyes" | 4:31 |
| 11. | "Empty Cans" | 8:15 |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (91/100) [1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| Blender | [3] |
| Stylus Magazine | (A)[4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B)[5] |
| Robert Christgau | (B+)[6] |
| Pitchfork Media | (9.1/10) [7] |
| Q | [8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| Slant Magazine | [10] |
| The Guardian | [11] |
| NME | [12] |
| PopMatters | [13] |
Critical response from the album, like from his previous album, was near universally positive. It currently scores 91/100 on Metacritic,[14] slightly higher than his previous album, which scored 90/100.[15] Many critics have noted Skinner's difference in style compared to other artists. Trouser Press said that "Skinner seems both edgier and more contemplative." The Guardian described that the album "raises the stakes to such an extent that it sounds literally unprecedented: there isn't really any other album like this.", and PopMatters described that Skinner "is now in a class all his own; nobody else is making music like this.[16] Austin Chronicle named the album "The first hip-hop classic of the new millennium." However, Playlouder criticized the album's hooks, describing most as "Appalling - a few, sung by Skinner, like 'Such A Twat', and opener 'It Was Supposed To Be So Easy' are enjoyable, but when he lets his mates croon soupily all over his beats, shit gets distinctly unpleasant." Online music magazine Pitchfork Media placed A Grand Don't Come for Free at number 129 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s.[17] Likewise, music magazine NME placed the album at number 16 on their list of "top 50 albums of the noughties".[18]
In the story, the protagonist loses £1000, or a "grand" in slang terms, and strives to recoup the money.
In the first track on the album, "It Was Supposed to Be So Easy", he attempts seemingly simple events for the day but they do not go according to plan. When he comes home he cannot find the thousand pounds he has saved and his television is broken. In the process of trying to recover the money he:
The first single from the album, "Fit But You Know It" reached number four on the UK Singles Charts with the second single, "Dry Your Eyes" entering the UK Charts at number one. The album itself reached number one in the UK Album Charts, number eleven in Australia and number eighty-two in the United States. Two other singles - "Blinded by the Lights" and "Could Well Be In" - were released, but failed to earn as much recognition as the previous two.
| Preceded by Hopes and Fears by Keane Scissor Sisters by Scissor Sisters |
UK number one album 3–9 July 2004 31 July – 6 August 2004 |
Succeeded by Scissor Sisters by Scissor Sisters Live in Hyde Park by Red Hot Chili Peppers |
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