Music > Styles > Pop > Dance Pop

	buying more than one thing? add to bookbag(uses Multi-Item Price Optimization™) ...or intereact!

Original Pirate Material
The Streets
Retail Price (not our price): $12.98
Release Date: 2002-10-22
Manufacturer: Vice/Atlantic
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
In a thrilling UK Garage scene, blighted only by a reliance on drippy soul cliché and tiresome braggadocio, The Streets' eminently quotable Mike Skinner may just be the voice to take it to the next level with Original Pirate Material. This debut is a staggeringly eloquent and fearlessly honest snapshot of gritty street-level existence, as experienced by an ordinary bloke. At first listen, the Birmingham-born Skinner's cheeky cockney affectations grate slightly. But for every line that makes you squirm, there are 20 that drop your jaw. "Has It Come to This?" is "A day in the life of a geezer," a seductive encapsulation of London lifestyle, presented raw as a bootleg, but bulging with sharp wit and feverish detail. "Stay Positive" weaves a fearful tale of heroin addiction, while "The Irony of It All" makes a beguiling case for legalization, presenting a fictional exchange between a beered-up, self-righteous lager lout and a fey student weed enthusiast. Original Pirate Material is a milestone, the real voice of British youth set down on record. Don't miss it. --Louis Pattison

2) Album Description
2002 debut is enhanced with the videos of 'Weak Become Heroes' and 'Let's Push Things Forward'. The album is nominated for this year's Mercury Prize, alongside luminaries David Bowie and Doves and was certified Gold in the UK. Vice.

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5

1) Sardonic, Clever, Hip, Original   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I first discovered this record in early 2003 and was immediately impressed. The lyrics and arrangements ooze a sort of snarly confidence, and the wordplay is really clever and memorable. The Streets' two subsequent albums haven't lived up to the potential seen here on "Original Pirate Material," as Skinner's lazy/arrogant outlook on life became more annoying than charming, and the music seemed less inspired overall. But this record stands alone as a modern classic.

2) original.. that's for sure   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
let's get one thing clear.. this is not rap. i don't really know how to classify it, but it's not rap. mike skinner rhymes over unique beats and to be honest, it sounds good. his rhymes are abstract and takes you all over the place. he talks about birds, geezers, clubs, and drugs among many things, but does so in a way i've never heard before. this album sounds amazing considering he recorded it in his bedroom. if you're looking for something new and an english accent doesn't bother you, check out the streets! just as good as this album is The Street's follow-up, A Grand Don't Come For Free. tracks worth checking out:Turn The Page (best opening song on any album i've ever heard)Too Much BrandyDon't Mug YourselfIt's Too LateIrony Of It All (weed vs. alchohol)Stay Positive (a description of himself during a heroine addiction)

3) instantly a favorite!!!!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
for whatever reasons i panned his latest album....mike skinner, by virtue of this debut album> enters genius-status...hall-of-famer and all in 4 listens of my first day ever hearing this obvious classic.a heady blend of comic one-off, day-to-day musings, and some very basic earthy (am i allowed to say?) wisdom......this thing grabs you from beginning to end and never lets go.every track rocks unique and sneeky brilliant....even sexy at times...bare yet clever and the words flow non-stop effortlessness without the pomp and bragadassiho of so much rap.it's hard to believe i enjoyed a true hip-hop album as much as this.this one's gonna rock my senses for some time to come.an absolute must for any collection of what is cool and modern...even if you're not.: )mcc>

4) Classic   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Ok here's the scoop. Mike Skinner has done something wonderful to the UK Garage scene. He has dropped an album that is appealing to absolutely everyone who can get their hands on it. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, your feeling his stuff, this man is the truth!!'Turn the Page' starts the album off with a bang, and it just gets better from there. The next 2 songs, 'Has It Come To This?' and 'Let's Push Things Forward' deliver a kind of laid back attitude to rapping, almost so that the songs sound like spoken words. The rest of the album is like this also, but it truly does fit well. 'It's Too Late' and 'Weak Become Heroes' are the kind of tracks that draw emotion from deep inside the listener, whether they are liking the music or not, and 'Stay Positive' delivers advice on life and how to deal with it. The only porr track is 'Sharp Darts', which is barely 2 minutes, which doesn't detract from the album at all. Incredible.Definitely buy this CD, throw money at Mike Skinner for creating such brilliane!

5) I don't even listen to rap and I still give it 4 stars   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
My buddy had played me a couple of tracks from this CD a year or two ago, and it had stayed with me ever since. So I finally sought out this album.There must be something about the American rap "style" that is an instant turn-off; maybe it's all the bling-in-your-face attitude. Ugh. But the poetic eloquence here--the meaning behind these words--seems somehow to hit home."Turn the page" is freakin brilliant, no matter what you call it; rap, poetry, music, whatever.I'm not saying every track is a masterpiece, but when something is obviously special it deserves special attenton.