Original Pirate Material

Last updated

Original Pirate Material
OriginalPirateMaterial.jpg
Studio album by
the Streets
Released25 March 2002
Recorded2001–2002
StudioMike Skinner's house, Brixton, London
Genre
Length47:24
Label
Producer Mike Skinner
The Streets chronology
Original Pirate Material
(2002)		 All Got Our Runnins
(2003)
Singles from Original Pirate Material
  1. "Has It Come to This?"
    Released: 8 October 2001
  2. "Let's Push Things Forward"
    Released: 15 April 2002
  3. "Weak Become Heroes"
    Released: 22 July 2002
  4. "Don't Mug Yourself"
    Released: 21 October 2002

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".

Contents

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 Wu-Tang Clan rappers such as Raekwon and RZA, as well as East Coast rapper Nas's album Illmatic . However, Skinner attributes the album as emerging from the UK garage scene of the late 1990s. [2] His stance when making the album was to combine the UK garage sound with a lyrical content about "all the little adventures you go on" rather than the style of UK hip hop, which he accused of being "someone from Reading pretending to be Biggie or Q-Tip". [3]

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 Brixton in south London. [5] The instrumental tracks were created on an IBM ThinkPad, while Skinner used an emptied out wardrobe as a vocal booth using duvets and mattresses to reduce echo. [6] Direct influences on the album included the 2000 film Gladiator , which inspired the lyrics of "Turn the Page", the opening track of the album. [7] He eschewed analogue recording equipment and recorded and mixed the album entirely on Logic Pro, a digital audio workstation. [8]

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

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 90/100 [10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [11]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Entertainment Weekly A [13]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
NME 9/10 [15]
Pitchfork 7.9/10 [16]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Spin 8/10 [18]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [19]
The Village Voice A− [20]

Original Pirate Material was hailed by the British music press upon its release. NME said that the album "represents a brilliant break with cliché ... [Skinner is] one of the most original pop voices for years... By turns dark, funny and heartbreaking, the songs on Original Pirate Material are snapshots of ordinary life as a young Midlands resident, set to innovative two-step production: tales of love, going out, being skint, getting drunk, and eating chips. It's Streets by name, and streets by nature, and it's great." [15] Q called Skinner a "vital new voice" and described Original Pirate Material as "starkly observed vignettes ... this debut wittily and wisely documents young lives spent in piss-poor pubs, estate bedrooms and kebab shops... It could easily, but somehow never does, degenerate into the kind of 'street poet' blather TV news editors think spices up election coverage." [21] Mojo said that Skinner "favours a winningly downbeat brand of urban realism, set to minimal, pounding drums ... A lot of his urban vignettes fall somewhere between "The Message" and the Specials' "Ghost Town". But their very ordinariness and the brutish, unadorned simplicity of the music is part of their appeal, evoking the everyday tedium of real 'youth culture' ... A uniquely British voice." [22] Spin said, "Mike Skinner ... could be the most gifted rapper London has ever produced, except that he doesn't really rap – he pontificates, spins spoken-word yarns, and kicks running commentary. Hip-hop – and Britain's equally bling-fixated 2-step-garage scene – has shaped Skinner's sound, but he's too earnest to reproduce their bluster. He's an observant, asphalt-level 'geezer' – Brit slang for everyman – set apart by the sharpness of his lens, not the force of his flow. On Original Pirate Material, Skinner nails the quiet desperation of the white working class like a pub-hooligan Marshall Mathers, with all of Slim Shady's good humor and none of his insanity." [18]

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.TitleLength
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

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [45] Gold35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [46] 2× Platinum600,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog
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)CDWPCR-11232
United States 22 October 2002 VICE Music/Atlantic Records double LP93181-1
CD93181-2

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Streets</span> British alternative hip hop music group

The Streets is an English musical project led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner. The project was founded in the early 90s, while Skinner was still a teenager; however, no music would formally eventuate until the early 2000s. In the initial run of The Streets, the project released five studio albums: Original Pirate Material (2002), A Grand Don't Come for Free (2004), The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living (2006), Everything Is Borrowed (2008) and Computers and Blues (2011). The Streets also released a string of successful singles during this time, which reached the Top 40 on the UK Singles chart – including "Has It Come to This?", "Fit but You Know It", "Dry Your Eyes", "When You Wasn't Famous" and "Prangin' Out". After disbanding The Streets in 2011, Skinner pursued several other musical projects before ultimately reviving the moniker in 2017. A new mixtape, None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive, was released in 2020. The Streets' sixth studio album, The Darker The Shadow The Brighter The Light, is set for release in September 2023.

<i>The Blueprint</i> 2001 studio album by Jay-Z

The Blueprint is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2001 at Manhattan Center Studios and Baseline Studios in New York City. Contrasting the radio-friendly sound of Jay-Z's previous work, The Blueprint features soul-based sampling and production handled primarily by Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Bink, as well as Timbaland, Trackmasters, and Eminem, who also contributes the album's sole guest feature.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Tupac Shakur album) 1998 greatest hits album by 2Pac

Greatest Hits is a posthumous double-disc greatest hits album by American rapper 2Pac, released by Amaru Entertainment, Death Row Records, and Interscope Records on November 24, 1998.

<i>Gorillaz</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Gorillaz

Gorillaz is the debut studio album by English virtual band Gorillaz, released on 26 March 2001 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. The album reached number three in the UK and number fourteen in the US, and the top ten in several other countries. Gorillaz has sold over seven million copies worldwide. The album's success earned the group an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most Successful Virtual Band", and spawned the singles "Clint Eastwood", "19-2000", "Rock the House", and "Tomorrow Comes Today".

<i>A Grand Dont Come for Free</i> 2004 studio album by The Streets

A Grand Don't Come for Free is the second studio album by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner, under the music project the Streets. It was released on 17 May 2004 and is listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It is a rap opera and concept album that follows the story of its protagonist's relationship with a girl named Simone, alongside the mysterious loss of £1,000 from his home.

<i>Stankonia</i> 2000 studio album by Outkast

Stankonia is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo Outkast. It was released on October 31, 2000, by LaFace Records. The album was recorded in the duo's recently purchased Atlanta recording facility Stankonia Studios, which allowed for fewer time and recording constraints, and featured production work from Earthtone III and Organized Noize.

<i>Miss E... So Addictive</i> 2001 studio album by Missy Elliott

Miss E... So Addictive is the third studio album by American rapper and singer Missy Elliott. It was released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records on May 15, 2001, in the United States. The album spawned the club and R&B/hip-hop hits "One Minute Man", featuring Ludacris and Trina, and "Get Ur Freak On", as well as the international club hit "4 My People" and the less commercially successful single "Take Away".

<i>Under Construction</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Missy Elliott

Under Construction is the fourth studio album by American rapper Missy Elliott, released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records on November 12, 2002, in the United States. The album was primarily produced by Timbaland, with additional production by Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, Errol "Poppi" McCalla and Elliott herself.

<i>2001</i> (Dr. Dre album) 1999 studio album by Dr. Dre

2001 is the second studio album by American rapper and hip hop producer Dr. Dre. It was released on November 16, 1999, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records as the follow-up to his 1992 debut album, The Chronic. The album was produced mainly by Dr. Dre and Mel-Man, as well as Lord Finesse, and features several guest contributions from Hittman, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Xzibit, Eminem, and Nate Dogg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Business (song)</span> 2003 song by Eminem

"Business" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his fourth studio album, The Eminem Show (2002). "Business" was released as the final single from the album on July 22, 2003, but it was not released as an official single in the United States.

<i>Restless</i> (Xzibit album) 2000 studio album by Xzibit

Restless is the third studio album by rapper Xzibit. It was released December 12, 2000. It debuted at #14 on the Billboard 200 with approximately 205,000 copies sold in its 1st week released. The album then fell 17 spots to #31 in the 2nd week, but then rose back up 19 spots to peak at #12 the following week. Also since being released the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA with an excess of a million copies sold in America making it Xzibit's most successful album of his career.

<i>Lord Willin</i> 2002 studio album by Clipse

Lord Willin' is the major label debut and second studio album by hip hop duo Clipse. The album was released on August 20, 2002 in the United States by Star Trak and Arista. Recording sessions took place over a year, beginning in 2001. Production was handled by The Neptunes.

<i>Born to Do It</i> 2000 studio album by Craig David

Born to Do It is the debut studio album by English singer Craig David, released in the United Kingdom on 14 August 2000 by Wildstar Records and in the United States later in 2001 by Atlantic Records. Following exposure from his work with British group Damage, David began performing vocals for garage duo Artful Dodger. During this time, Wildstar Records became aware of David, offering him a development deal before offering an album contract. The recording for the album began in 1999 before David had acquired a record contract, the recording lasted until 2000 and was composed by David himself and Mark Hill.

<i>The Fix</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Scarface

The Fix is the seventh studio album by American rapper Scarface. The album was released on August 6, 2002. The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart, with well over 160,000 copies sold in its 1st week. Guest artists on the album include Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Nas, Faith Evans, and WC. Producers include Mike Dean, Kanye West, Tony Pizarro, Nottz, and The Neptunes. Upon release, The Fix was met with critical acclaim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Skinner (musician)</span> English rapper

Michael Geoffrey Skinner is an English rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. Best known for the music project the Streets, Skinner has also released music as a solo artist, as part of the D.O.T. with frequent collaborator Rob Harvey, and under the pseudonym The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light.

"Don't Mug Yourself" is a song by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner under the music project the Streets. It was released in October 2002 as the fourth and final single from their debut studio album, Original Pirate Material. It reached number 21 in the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Has It Come to This?</span> 2001 single by The Streets

"Has It Come to This?" is a song by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner under the music project the Streets. It was released in October 2001 as the lead single from their debut album Original Pirate Material. The song reached number 18 in the United Kingdom and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry in December 2019.

Popular music of the United Kingdom in the 21st century continued to expand and develop new subgenres and fusions. While talent show contestants were one of the major forces in pop music, British soul maintained and even extended its high-profile with figures like Joss Stone, Estelle, Duffy and Adele, while a new group of singer-songwriters led by Amy Winehouse and Westlife achieved international success. New forms of dance music emerged, including grime and dubstep. There was also a revival of garage rock and post-punk, which when mixed with electronic music produced new rave.

So Solid Crew are a British UK garage and hip hop collective originating from Battersea, London, which achieved wide success in the early 2000s. The group consisted of many members, the most notable being Asher D, Lisa Maffia, Harvey and Romeo. So Solid have been credited for being pioneers in the UK music scene. By turning UK garage from a dancey-genre to one that was darker and more MC-oriented, and gaining mainstream success, they inspired London youth to experiment with their own darker sounds, leading to what would become known as grime music.

<i>White Blood Cells</i> 2001 studio album by The White Stripes

White Blood Cells is the third studio album by American rock duo the White Stripes, released on July 3, 2001. The album was recorded in less than one week at Easley-McCain Recording in Memphis, Tennessee, and was produced by frontman and guitarist Jack White. It was the band's final record released independently on Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album explores themes of love, hope, betrayal, and paranoia, which were inspired by the increased media attention the group were receiving.

References

  1. ↑ Lavin, Will (28 March 2022). "The Streets announce Original Pirate Material 20th anniversary vinyl". NME . Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  2. ↑ Skinner 2012, p. 19.
  3. ↑ Skinner 2012, p. 21.
  4. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (2007). Bring the Noise. London, England: Faber and Faber. p. 340. ISBN   978-0-5712-3207-9.
  5. ↑ Skinner 2012, p. 83.
  6. ↑ Skinner 2012, p. 84.
  7. ↑ "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.
  8. ↑ Mike Skinner, AKA The Streets, installs Solid State Logic Duality console. Solid State Logic (7 July 2011). Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  9. ↑ Stokes, Tim (2 June 2018). "Revisiting London's iconic album cover images". BBC News. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "Reviews for Original Pirate Material by The Streets". Metacritic . Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  11. ↑ Bush, John. "Original Pirate Material – The Streets". AllMusic . Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ Hermes, Will (20 September 2002). "Original Pirate Material". Entertainment Weekly . New York. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  14. ↑ Costa, Maddy (15 March 2002). "Pirates and predators". The Guardian Friday Review. London. p. 14.
  15. 1 2 Robinson, John (16 March 2002). "Geezer Good". NME . London. p. 28.
  16. ↑ Mitchum, Rob (22 August 2002). "The Streets: Original Pirate Material". Pitchfork . Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. 1 2 Caramanica, Jon (November 2002). "The Streets: Original Pirate Material". Spin . Vol. 18, no. 11. New York. p. 128. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  19. ↑ "The Streets: Original Pirate Material". Uncut . No. 59. London. April 2002. p. 92.
  20. ↑ Christgau, Robert (21 January 2003). "Consumer Guide: Escape Claus". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  21. ↑ Lowe, Steve (March 2002). "Kid Rocks". Q . No. 188. London. p. 115.
  22. ↑ Collin, Matthew (April 2002). "The Streets – Original Pirate Material". Mojo . No. 101. London. p. 115.
  23. ↑ 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.
  24. ↑ "2003 NME's Writers - All Time Top 100 Albums". Timepieces.nl. Archived from the original on 17 September 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  25. ↑ "The Strokes' 'Is This It' tops NME albums of the decade list". NME. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  26. ↑ Thompson, Ben (29 November 2009). "Albums of the decade No 1: The Streets – Original Pirate Material". Observer Music Monthly. London. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  27. ↑ Simon Reynolds (13 January 2010). "blissblog". Blissout.blogspot.com. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  28. ↑ "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.
  29. ↑ "Staff Lists: The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 50-21 | Features". Pitchfork. 1 October 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  30. ↑ "The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  31. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 269.
  32. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The Streets – Original Pirate Material". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  33. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Streets – Original Pirate Material". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  34. ↑ "Charts.nz – The Streets – Original Pirate Material". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  35. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Streets – Original Pirate Material". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  36. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  37. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  38. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Streets – Original Pirate Material" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  39. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  40. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  41. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  42. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  43. ↑ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus . Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  44. ↑ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2004" (PDF). Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  45. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  46. ↑ "British album certifications – Streets – Original Pirate Material". British Phonographic Industry.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.