Cast of Thousands
| Cast of Thousands | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Elbow | ||||
| Released |
18 August 2003 (UK) 27 January 2004 (US) | |||
| Recorded | 2002-2003 at Parr Street Studios, Liverpool [1] | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, art rock | |||
| Length | 50:09 | |||
| Label | V2 | |||
| Producer | Ben Hillier, Elbow | |||
| Elbow chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Cast of Thousands | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| The A.V. Club | [3] |
| BBC Music | (highly favourable) [4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
| The Independent | [6] |
| MusicOMH | (highly favourable) [7] |
| NME | [8] |
| Pitchfork Media | (7.8/10) [9] |
| PopMatters | (favourable) [10] |
| Stylus Magazine | A [11] |
| Yahoo! Music | [12] |
Cast of Thousands is the second album by British alternative rock band Elbow, released on 18 August 2003 in the UK and on 27 January 2004 in the US by V2 Records. The album title refers to the song "Grace Under Pressure", whose refrain was recorded live at the Glastonbury Festival in 2002, as sung by the audience during the band's set. Participants were then invited to register their names at the Elbow website, with all responders gaining a 'credit' on the album sleeve. The US version of the album contains two additional songs: "Whisper Grass" (which was a B-side to first single "Fallen Angel") and "Lay Down Your Cross" (a B-side to third single "Not a Job"). The Japanese version includes "Whisper Grass" and "Brave New Shave" (another "Fallen Angel" B-side) as bonus tracks.
A companion film was also produced in conjunction with the album's release. It features footage set to all 11 tracks on the UK version of the album, as well as the music videos for the singles "Fallen Angel" and "Fugitive Motel". In the UK the film was released on DVD, whereas in the US it was released as an enhanced video bonus disc with the album.
Album cover
The two characters on the album cover were 10 feet (3.0 m) tall female and male polystyrene figures, named "Elle" and "Bo", which were originally placed by the side of the M1 motorway near Mansfield, but were removed by police following reported "alien" sightings by passing drivers.[13] Following the conclusion of the promotional activities for the record, the models were auctioned for charity.[14]
Track listing
UK version
All songs written and composed by Elbow; all lyrics by Guy Garvey.
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ribcage" | 6:27 | |
| 2. | "Fallen Angel" | 4:07 | |
| 3. | "Fugitive Motel" | 5:51 | |
| 4. | "Snooks (Progress Report)" | 4:00 | |
| 5. | "Switching Off" | 5:05 | |
| 6. | "Not a Job" | 4:23 | |
| 7. | "I've Got Your Number" | 4:48 | |
| 8. | "Buttons and Zips" | 3:57 | |
| 9. | "Crawling with Idiot" | 4:41 | |
| 10. | "Grace Under Pressure" | 4:57 | |
| 11. | "Flying Dream 143" | 1:48 |
- "Snooks (Progress Report)" takes its name from blind blues singer and guitarist Snooks Eaglin[15]
- Japanese version bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Whisper Grass" (B-side of "Fallen Angel" CD1 in the UK) | 4:29 | |
| 13. | "Brave New Shave" (B-side of "Fallen Angel" CD2 in the UK) | 3:47 |
US version
All songs written and composed by Elbow; all lyrics by Guy Garvey.
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ribcage" | 6:27 | |
| 2. | "Fallen Angel" | 4:07 | |
| 3. | "Fugitive Motel" | 5:51 | |
| 4. | "Snooks (Progress Report)" | 4:00 | |
| 5. | "Switching Off" | 5:05 | |
| 6. | "Not a Job" | 4:23 | |
| 7. | "I've Got Your Number" | 4:48 | |
| 8. | "Whisper Grass" | 4:29 | |
| 9. | "Buttons and Zips" | 3:57 | |
| 10. | "Lay Down Your Cross" (B-side of "Not a Job" in the UK) | 4:40 | |
| 11. | "Crawling with Idiot" | 4:41 | |
| 12. | "Grace Under Pressure" | 4:57 | |
| 13. | "Flying Dream 143" | 1:48 |
Cast of Thousands film version
(released 3 November 2003 in UK, 27 January 2004 in US):
- Disc one
As the standard album release in each country (11 tracks in UK, 13 tracks in US)
- Disc two
(released as a DVD in UK, and as an enhanced CD-ROM in US)
| Track listing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 1. | "Video for "Fallen Angel"" (directed by Sam Brown) | |||||||||
| 2. | "Video for "Fugitive Motel"" (directed by Dave Mould) | |||||||||
| 3. | "Ribcage" (footage by Elbow) | |||||||||
| 4. | "Fallen Angel" (visuals by Soup Collective) | |||||||||
| 5. | "Fugitive Motel" (visuals by Soup Collective) | |||||||||
| 6. | "Snooks (Progress Report)" (visuals by Soup Collective) | |||||||||
| 7. | "Switching Off" (visuals by Soup Collective) | |||||||||
| 8. | "Not a Job" (photos by Mark Thomas) | |||||||||
| 9. | "I've Got Your Number" (footage by Elbow) | |||||||||
| 10. | "Buttons and Zips" (visuals by Soup Collective) | |||||||||
| 11. | "Crawling with Idiot" (photos by Mark Thomas) | |||||||||
| 12. | "Grace Under Pressure" (footage by Elbow & visuals by Soup Collective) | |||||||||
| 13. | "Flying Dream 143" (visuals by Soup Collective) | |||||||||
Singles
In the UK, there were four singles released from the album:
- "Ribcage" was released as an online track in May 2003 but was never a full single.
- "Fallen Angel" (4 August 2003)
- "Fugitive Motel" (27 October 2003)
- "Not a Job" (23 February 2004)
- "Grace Under Pressure"/"Switching Off" EP (12 July 2004)
Additional musicians
- Additional vocals on "Ribcage" - The London Community Gospel Choir
- Strings on "Fugitive Motel" and "Crawling with Idiot" (arranged by Ian Burdge):
- Ian Burdge, Chris Worsey - cello
- Stephen Bussey, Catherine Browning, Everton Nelson, Maya Bickel, Alison Dods, Gillon Cameron, Giles Broadbent & Sally Herbert - violins
- Additional vocals on "Grace Under Pressure" - The London Community Gospel Choir, Jimi Goodwin, Alfie, Marcus Garvey, Beckie Garvey, Gina Garvey, Cathy Davey & the crowd at Glastonbury 2002 (Marcus, Beckie and Gina Garvey are singer Guy Garvey's brother and sisters)
References
- ↑ Biography section on Elbow official website
- ↑ Kellman, Andy. Elbow: Cast of Thousands > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ Murray, Noel (10 February 2004). "Review: Cast of Thousands". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ Davies, Lucy (15 August 2003). "Review: Cast of Thousands". BBC Music. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (15 August 2003). "Review: Cast of Thousands". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ↑ Gill, Andy (15 August 2003). "Review: Cast of Thousands". The Independent. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ↑ Murphy, John. "Review: Cast of Thousands". MusicOMH. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ Naylor, Tony (2 September 2003). "Review: Cast of Thousands". NME. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ Goldstein, Hartley (11 January 2004). "Review: Cast of Thousands". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ Cober-Lake, Justin (5 January 2004). "Review: Cast of Thousands". PopMatters. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ Southall, Nick (1 September 2003). "Review: Cast of Thousands". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ Mulvey, John (13 August 2003). "Review: Cast of Thousands". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ↑ "Giant 'Aliens' Get The Elbow!". NME. 2 July 2004. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ↑ Barstein, Brand (6 November 2009). "Elbow: exclusive interview". Q. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ↑ Snooks Eaglin
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