Original Pirate Material
Original Pirate Material | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 25 March 2002 | |||
Recorded | 2001–2002 | |||
Studio | Mike Skinner's house, Brixton, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 47:24 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Mike Skinner | |||
The Streets chronology | ||||
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Singles from Original Pirate Material | ||||
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Original Pirate Material is the debut studio album by English hip hop project the Streets, released on 25 March 2002. Recorded mostly in a room in a south London house rented at the time by principal member Mike Skinner, the album is musically influenced by UK garage and American hip hop, while its lyrics tell stories of British working-class life. It was supported by four singles: "Has It Come to This?", "Let's Push Things Forward", "Weak Become Heroes", and "Don't Mug Yourself".
The album originally rose to number 12 on the UK Albums Chart in 2002, and then peaked at number 10 in 2004 following the release of the chart-topping second Streets album A Grand Don't Come for Free. It re-entered several charts in April 2022, following its reissue on orange vinyl for 2022's Record Store Day.[1] Original Pirate Material received widespread critical acclaim, with many reviewers praising the originality and humour of Skinner's lyrics, and subsequent critics' polls have placed it among the best albums of the 2000s.
Background
Skinner has stated that his main early influences were from the United States, in particular
Journalist Simon Reynolds identified the album's lyrical content as capturing UK garage's "submerged reality" as a genre not based in nightclubs. Outside London in the late 1990s, UK garage was rarely played in clubs but was instead found on pirate radio stations, reflected by the album's title.[4]
Recording
Recording for Original Pirate Material lasted over a year, with Skinner recording the bulk of the album in the room he was renting in a house in
Artwork
The cover artwork depicts the south face of the Kestrel House tower block on City Road, London at night. The photo was taken in 1995 by German photographer Rut Blees Luxemburg using an eight-minute exposure.[9]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 90/100[10] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [11] |
Blender | [12] |
Entertainment Weekly | A[13] |
The Guardian | [14] |
NME | 9/10[15] |
Pitchfork | 7.9/10[16] |
Rolling Stone | [17] |
Spin | 8/10[18] |
Uncut | [19] |
The Village Voice | A−[20] |
Original Pirate Material was hailed by the British music press upon its release.
Contemporary reviews for the album commented on its DIY aesthetic and lyricism. Stylus Magazine said that the album "combines the boy-next-door DIY of US garage rock with the sound of UK garage and displays an alchemic ability to turn the humdrum of everyday life into a record that is at times empowering, hilarious, melancholy, awkward, and charming."[23]
Accolades
Since its release in 2002, Original Pirate Material has received several accolades. In March 2003, NME placed Original Pirate Material at number 46 on their list of the "100 Best Albums of All Time".[24] They subsequently placed the album at number nine in their list of the "100 Best Albums of the Decade".[25] Observer Music Monthly ranked it as the best album of the 2000s.[26] Journalist Simon Reynolds also placed the album at the top of his list of his favourite albums of the 2000s, with a "special 'in a class of its own' award".[27] Pitchfork placed the album at number ten on their list of the top 100 albums of 2000–2004;[28] they later placed it at number 36 on their list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s.[29] In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked the album 139th in their list of The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time.[30]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Mike Skinner
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Turn the Page" | 3:15 |
2. | "Has It Come to This?" | 4:04 |
3. | "Let's Push Things Forward" (featuring Kevin Mark Trail) | 3:51 |
4. | "Sharp Darts" | 1:33 |
5. | "Same Old Thing" (featuring Kevin Mark Trail) | 3:22 |
6. | "Geezers Need Excitement" | 3:46 |
7. | "It's Too Late" | 4:10 |
8. | "Too Much Brandy" | 3:02 |
9. | "Don't Mug Yourself" | 2:39 |
10. | "Who Got the Funk?" | 1:50 |
11. | "The Irony of It All" | 3:29 |
12. | "Weak Become Heroes" | 5:33 |
13. | "Who Dares Wins" | 0:34 |
14. | "Stay Positive" | 6:16 |
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[45] | Gold | 35,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom & Europe | 25 March 2002 | Locked On Records/679 Recordings | double LP | 679003TLP |
CD | 679003CDLP | |||
Japan | 3 July 2002 | Warner Music Japan(ワーナーミュージック・ジャパン )
|
CD | WPCR-11232 |
United States | 22 October 2002 | VICE Music/Atlantic Records | double LP | 93181-1 |
CD | 93181-2 |
References
- ^ Lavin, Will (28 March 2022). "The Streets announce Original Pirate Material 20th anniversary vinyl". NME. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ Skinner 2012, p. 19.
- ^ Skinner 2012, p. 21.
- ISBN 978-0-5712-3207-9.
- ^ Skinner 2012, p. 83.
- ^ Skinner 2012, p. 84.
- ^ "10 Amazing Songs Without Choruses - NME Blogs - NME.COM - The world's fastest music news service, music videos, interviews, photos and more". NME. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
- ^ Mike Skinner, AKA The Streets, installs Solid State Logic Duality console. Solid State Logic (7 July 2011). Retrieved 2017-02-06.
- ^ Stokes, Tim (2 June 2018). "Revisiting London's iconic album cover images". BBC News. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ "Reviews for Original Pirate Material by The Streets". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ Bush, John. "Original Pirate Material – The Streets". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ Salamon, Jeff (November 2002). "The Streets: Original Pirate Material". Blender. No. 11. New York. p. 143. Archived from the original on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ Hermes, Will (20 September 2002). "Original Pirate Material". Entertainment Weekly. New York. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ^ Costa, Maddy (15 March 2002). "Pirates and predators". The Guardian Friday Review. London. p. 14.
- ^ a b Robinson, John (16 March 2002). "Geezer Good". NME. London. p. 28.
- ^ Mitchum, Rob (22 August 2002). "The Streets: Original Pirate Material". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ Edwards, Gavin (31 October 2002). "The Streets: Original Pirate Material". Rolling Stone. No. 908. New York. Archived from the original on 29 May 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (November 2002). "The Streets: Original Pirate Material". Spin. Vol. 18, no. 11. New York. p. 128. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ "The Streets: Original Pirate Material". Uncut. No. 59. London. April 2002. p. 92.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (21 January 2003). "Consumer Guide: Escape Claus". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ Lowe, Steve (March 2002). "Kid Rocks". Q. No. 188. London. p. 115.
- ^ Collin, Matthew (April 2002). "The Streets – Original Pirate Material". Mojo. No. 101. London. p. 115.
- ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (1 September 2003). "The Streets – Original Pirate Material – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "2003 NME's Writers - All Time Top 100 Albums". Timepieces.nl. Archived from the original on 17 September 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "The Strokes' 'Is This It' tops NME albums of the decade list". NME. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ Thompson, Ben (29 November 2009). "Albums of the decade No 1: The Streets – Original Pirate Material". Observer Music Monthly. London. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
- ^ Simon Reynolds (13 January 2010). "blissblog". Blissout.blogspot.com. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "The Top 100 Albums of 2000-04, Part Two". Pitchfork. 7 February 2005. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
- ^ "Staff Lists: The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 50-21 | Features". Pitchfork. 1 October 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 269.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – The Streets – Original Pirate Material". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Streets – Original Pirate Material". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ "Charts.nz – The Streets – Original Pirate Material". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Streets – Original Pirate Material". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2004" (PDF). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "British album certifications – Streets – Original Pirate Material". British Phonographic Industry.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-5930-6807-6.