The Seldom Seen Kid

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The Seldom Seen Kid
Studio album by Elbow
Released	17 March 2008 (UK) 22 April 2008 (US)
Recorded	2006–2007, Blueprint Studios, Manchester
Genre	Alternative rock, indie rock
Length	56:57
Label	Fiction/Polydor Geffen Records
Producer	Craig Potter, Elbow
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Drowned in Sound (9/10) link NME (9/10) link Pitchfork Media (7.8/10) link The Guardian link The Independent link The Skinny link The Sun link The Times link Yahoo! Music (8/10) link
Elbow chronology
Leaders of the Free World (2005) The Seldom Seen Kid (2008)

The Seldom Seen Kid is the fourth studio album by the indie rock/alternative rock band Elbow. It was released by Fiction Records on 17 March 2008 in the United Kingdom^[1] and was released by Geffen Records on 22 April 2008 in the United States. The album debuted at number five on the UK Albums Chart and won the Mercury Prize in 2008.

[edit] Production

The album was recorded at Blueprint Studios in Manchester, and is the first Elbow album to be entirely self-produced, mixed and recorded without any outside help. The bulk of the record was written and performed by the band, aside from a guest appearance from singer-songwriter Richard Hawley, who contributes guest vocals, lead guitar and co-songwriting on "The Fix."

The title of the album is taken from one of the characters who appears in US author Damon Runyon's humorous, idiosyncratic tales of gangster life on New York's Broadway in the 1920s. In addition to appearing as a lyric within the album's first single, "Grounds for Divorce," The Seldom Seen Kid is also a nickname, given by Guy Garvey's father,^[2] to Bryan Glancy, a fellow Mancunian musician and friend of the band who died suddenly in 2006.^[3] The closing track, "Friend of Ours," as well as the liner notes of the album, are dedicated in his memory.^[4]

[edit] Release

The album debuted at number five on the UK Albums Chart, the highest charting position of the band's career so far. The album was released in the UK in three versions: a regular CD in a super-jewel box, a digipack CD (both with one bonus track, "We're Away") and a double 12" vinyl LP.

The song "Grounds for Divorce" was featured in a TV ad for the video game Left 4 Dead.^[5] It is also featured in the trailer for the 2008 Coen Brothers film Burn After Reading.^[6] Samples of the song are also featured on the motoring series Top Gear.^[7] Furthermore, "Grounds For Divorce" has also been featured in a promo-ad for the 6th season of the hit TV-show 'House MD', as well as the Rescue Me season 5 episode Jump on 25 August 2009 . Additionally, "One Day Like This" has recently been featured in ads for the upcoming film The Soloist.

A version of the song "One Day Like This," without lyrics, was used as background and theming for the BBC's coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games.

On 17 January 2009, at Abbey Road Studios in London, the band played the album live with the BBC Concert Orchestra (conducted by Mike Dixon), featuring London choir Chantage. BBC Radio 2 broadcast the audio recording on Saturday 31 January, whilst the filmed event was made available on BBC interactive television via the red button.^[8]

The band released a special limited edition CD/DVD set of the performance, entitled The Seldom Seen Kid Live at Abbey Road, on 30 March 2009.^[9]

[edit] Reception

The album has received nearly unanimous praise from media outlets, including the NME and Planet Sound, which both gave Elbow their fourth consecutive 9/10 album rating.

The album won the Mercury Music Prize in 2008, an achievement which Guy Garvey declared to be "the best thing that's ever happened to us."^[10] The band were previously nominated for the award in 2001 with their debut album Asleep in the Back.

Commercially the album was well received, opening at number five on the UK album charts, but faded away quickly. However, after the Mercury nomination the album saw a revival to gain gold status, with its second single "One Day Like This" re-entering the top 40 singles listing after the award win. The album has had a steady chart run since (including a re-entry in the top ten), enabling it to stay in the charts long enough to benefit from the busy Christmas market, helping it reach just over 300,000 sales and making it eligible for platinum status.

The band also won Best British Group at the 2009 Brit Awards and picked up two awards at the 2009 Ivor Novello Awards. "One Day Like This" won Best Song and "Grounds for Divorce" was Best Contemporary Song.

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Elbow; lyrics by Guy Garvey (except where noted).

1. "Starlings" – 5:20 (5:05 on CD versions)
2. "The Bones of You" (Elbow; contains elements of "Summertime" by George Gershwin, Dubose Heyward, Dorothy Heyward & Ira Gershwin) – 4:49
3. "Mirrorball" – 5:50
4. "Grounds for Divorce" – 3:39
5. "An Audience with the Pope" – 4:27
6. "Weather to Fly" – 4:29
7. "The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver" – 5:14
8. "The Fix" (Elbow, Richard Hawley) – 4:27
9. "Some Riot" – 5:23
10. "One Day Like This" – 6:34
11. "Friend of Ours" – 4:38 (5:01 with silence on version containing the bonus track)
12. "We're Away" (UK bonus track on CD and download versions only) – 1:59

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Charts

[edit] Accolades

[edit] Singles

• "Grounds for Divorce" (10 March 2008) [released and deleted in the same week] UK# 19
  • CD: b/w "Hotel Istanbul" – 7:02
  • 7" #1: b/w "Our Little Boat" – 2:58
  • 7" #2: b/w "A Regret" – 1:09

• "One Day Like This" (18 March 2008 – US; 2 June 2008 – UK) UK# 35
  • US: one-track digital download only
  • CD: b/w "Lullaby" – 3:13
  • 7" #1: b/w "Every Bit the Little Girl" – 4:32
  • 7" #2: b/w "Li'l Pissed Charmin' Tune" – 3:44

• "The Bones of You" (29 September 2008)
  • Promo CD: "The Bones of You" (radio edit) – 3:06
  • Digital download: b/w "The Bones of You" (Live at Manchester Academy) – 4:47

[edit] The Seldom Seen Kid Live at Abbey Road

The Seldom Seen Kid Live at Abbey Road was recorded live with the BBC Concert Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios on 17 January 2009. A special limited edition CD/DVD set was released by Fiction Records on 30 March 2009, featured inside a small box with individual card sleeves for each disc, as well as five postcards featuring photos of each band member, and a special booklet with photos commemorating the recording.

[edit] CD & DVD track listing

1. "Starlings" (Live) – 6:31
2. "The Bones of You" (Live) – 5:12
3. "Mirrorball" (Live) – 5:54
4. "Grounds for Divorce" (Live) – 4:00
5. "An Audience with the Pope" (Live) – 4:26
6. "Weather to Fly" (Live) – 5:04
7. "The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver" (Live) – 5:26
8. "The Fix" (featuring Richard Hawley) (Live) – 5:00
9. "Some Riot" (Live) – 5:58
10. "One Day Like This" (Live) – 6:39
11. "Friend of Ours" (Live) – 5:01

[edit] References