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Leaders Of The Free World | 
| Artist: Elbow
Label: Commercial Marketing
Category: Music
List Price: £8.99
Buy New: £3.98
as of 21/11/2009 21:24 GMT details
You Save: £5.01 (56%)
New (38) Used (7) Collectible (1) from £3.35
Seller: Amazon.co.uk
Rating:  43 reviews
Sales Rank: 236
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Running Time: 49 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.7 x 0.4
EAN: 5033197325521
ASIN: B0007Y88M6
Release Date: July 1, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Station Approach | | • | Picky Bastard | | • | Forget Myself | | • | The Stops | | • | Leaders of the Free World | | • | An imagined Affair | | • | Mexican Standoff | | • | The Everthere | | • | My Very Best | | • | Great Expectations | | • | Puncture Repair |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
iLeaders of the Free World/i, Elbow's third album, sees the band try to beat down their major league contemporaries (Coldplay, Doves) with a more ambitious set of songs. In truth, they didn't need to try so hard; Elbow have arguably been making better and more interesting music than most of their mainstream compadres since they formed in 1990. That said, the results here are undoubtedly impressive and may form the band's best work yet. Beginning with the beautiful, slow-building "Station Approach", and ending with the short but touching "Puncture Repair", iLeaders of the Free World/i takes in an a host of minor classics along the way. From the captivating strums of "Picky Bugger" and the sonorous chimes of "The Stop" to the massively captivating title track and the funereal waltz of "Great Expectations", the record's elliptical nature only adds to its enchanting qualities. If this doesn't confirm Elbow's status as superior musicians/arrangers and underline Guy Garvey's abilities as a master storyteller, nothing will. i--Paul Sullivan/i
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 43
They#x27;ve done it! November 10, 2005
58 out of 59 found this review helpful
One of the pleasures of music is discovering a band early in their career and watching them grow and mature until they produce the album that you always suspected they were capable of. So it is with myself, Elbow and #x27;Leaders of the Free World#x27;.pFor me, the highlights of #x27;Asleep in the Back#x27; and #x27;Cast of Thousands#x27; were #x27;Powder Blue#x27; and #x27;Fugitive Motel#x27; respectively. So is there anything on the new album that reaches the heights those two tracks attained? Well maybe not quite, but taken as a whole, this is a wonderful album which displays a level of song writing and craftsmanship rarely seen these days.pIt is some time since I owned an album in which I have felt confident enough to play every track from start to finish without worrying about #x27;that weaker track#x27; or the usual #x27;fillers#x27; (and OK Computer may be the last one, which gives some indication of how highly I rate this).pHighlights are too many to mention and like all good albums, keep revealing themselves with each listening, but #x27;Great Expectations#x27; is pure Elbow. Beautiful melody, and heart-rending lyrics from which Guy Garvey drains every last ounce of emotion. If this song doesn#x27;t bring to you tears, then nothing will.pAfter years of promising so much, Elbow have finally delivered. My only worry now is how they#x27;ll manage to follow this. #x27;Leaders of the Free World#x27; is their best album to date by a country mile, and although I haven#x27;t rubbed salt and pepper into my hair just yet, it#x27;s going to take a great deal of time and effort from the band to match this one. In the meantime though, this should just be enjoyed for the intimate, thought-provoking, polished piece of work it is.pAn absolute gem.
Repeat December 5, 2005
Elliot Davies (Liverpool, England)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Truly an album that requires repeat listenings. Many, many times will you have to listen to this before you truly appreciate it. On first listen it#x27;s pretty enough, nothing new...but the album#x27;s genius lies under it#x27;s skin.pI reccommend dimming the lights, lying down, playing this at a reasonable volume and listening very carefully to the sounds you#x27;re hearing. It#x27;s only then when it becomes apparent how unique Elbow are. pTheir trick involves compiling sounds together to form a cohesive whole, held together by enthusiastic drumming and bassing. Nowhere better is this exemplified than on the stunning "My Very Best"...I don#x27;t know where most of those noises come from, but added to the mix are lush violins, delicate electronics and spidery guitar lines. The cumulative impact is a gorgeous song. It#x27;s like building a palace out of gold bricks. The end effect is beautiful, but every single brick is equally beautiful.pSee, this album needs time to be picked apart. Listen to the intricate arrangements and appreciate how innovative this band truly are. Their sound is a warm, human sound, perfect for these winter months. Let it seep in and you#x27;ll find it soundtracking your life. Personally, I always hear "Station Approach" in my head when I walk through big cities these days.
Great Expectations August 4, 2005
60 out of 66 found this review helpful
When you've a track record as sound and as promising as Elbow's is, it isn't wrong to have great expectations for their latest offering... It's alright, the boys don't disappoint.pPicking up from where 'Cast of Thousands' left off, this album develops further in just about every aspect. In terms of mood and general sound, their 2003 release felt a lot more spacious and hopeful than 'Asleep In The Back', this newie just opens everything up again making the tracks seem enormous and epic, but without losing the humble touch that makes Elbow songs so charming. p'Station Approach' kicks the album off as a gathering builder like 'Ribcage' was previously before exploding into a stomper of an anthem. 'Picky Bugger' seems understated and cute, but there are typically sinister tones in Garvey's lyrics showing that the band have far from given up on the more menacing songs in their backcatalogue. 'Forget Myself', the first single, soars mightily with a massive energy that I've never heard in Elbow before- another indication of the gutsy direction taken here. 'The Stops' takes things down a peg and is a fine example of the hard work that has gone into the production on this record (which I'll come to later). The title track that follows is perhaps the most un-elbow one here, and whilst you might be caught off guard by the bizarre out-of-character guitar bit, it's not difficult to notice the similarities with 'Coming Second' off their debut- marching along with a bite and a sharp tongue, its a real highlight and (hopefully) a single. 'An Imagined Affair' calms things down again, but seemed to pass me by a bit on the first listen- perhaps one of those growers as a song that needs attention. Following this, the boys push the boundaries once more with 'Mexican Standoff' which, again, feels like a combination of the first two albums ('Red' and 'Fallen Angel' this time) creating a whole new beast altogether.pFrom here, all the solid, cohesive work thats gone on takes a slightly different form to close the album. 'The Everthere' is a bit of classic Elbow which plods along in a unpresumtious manner, but has your attention nonetheless. 'My Very Best' is another of my personal faves which is serene, tender and fully sincere made complete with a few familiar contributions from the string section. Next up is 'Great Expectations' which is something of a pure love song Garvey-style. The vocals echo and the mood is deeply melancholic but intensely personal as is common in Guy's lyrics- you wouldn't argue with the truth in the stories being told here and in the other songs, all the while adding magic of this collection. 'Puncture Repair' follows the fine tradition of easy album closers and really makes you appreciate the quality of Guy's talent as a singer and lyricist.pWhat impresses me most about 'Leaders of the Free World', is the way it shows all of the best qualities of Elbow. It has the cynical rocking with a restless temper that showed on the first album, but still had all the hope and spaciousness that was achieved by 'Cast of Thousands'. A lot of this is down to the quality production that has gone on here. This might sound corny, but it REALLY does sound like you're in the studio with the band while they're playing and to complement this, in between songs you can hear the band having a laugh with each other or discussing drumming techniques. Whilst this effect is achieved, it doesn't sound live or have any rawness which sacrifices the special atmosphere of a really good studio recording.pI wouldn't be surprised if, after several more listens, this becomes my favourite Elbow record and in terms of the wider world, they'll blow everything else out of the water when released in September. It doesn't even sound like they're trying. Elbow are just one of those bands that regardless of what the fashion or the scene is, they carry on with things on their own terms and still achieve something that sounds as original as it did five years ago. Glorious.
best of 2005 (probably) November 8, 2005
Dr Armani (Edinburgh United Kingdom)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
It#x27;s hard to get excited about a band like Elbow. If you#x27;ve only ever heard the odd song previously, or worse you#x27;ve only ever seen a picture of the band, you might easily dismiss them as #x27;sub-radiohead whinging northerners#x27;. Fair enough. This record though is hard to fault. There are not many albums that have an #x27;all-killer, no-filler#x27; track list. The songs are instantly melodic with great arrangement and an earnest (if slightly miserable) delivery. Even better, the record has had no hype, no hit singles and is not remotely #x27;in#x27;. There is absolutely no chance that the lead singer is going ot marry a hollywood #x27;A#x27; list actress and you won#x27;t hear the songs in Starbucks or a car advert. Buy this record but don#x27;t tell anyone else - i don#x27;t want everyone to know.
A quality album from start to finish September 11, 2005
P. Stokes (Essex, UK)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I remember seeing an unknown band supporting Muse and thinking at the time 'Sounds good live, wonder what the album's like'. Needless to say I bought the album and became hooked. This 3rd album is a pure gem. Every track has it's merit and I particularly praise 'The everthere and forget myself'. Guy Garvey should be up for a songwriting award with this collection. He leaves you in no doubt that life is a bit hard at times and love can tug at your heart strings. It's heart warming to think that the Brits can produce quality music, even if this band is never given the mass credit where it is clearly deserved and well overdue.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 43
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