Mr Mike Skinner... I have just one thing to say. Maybe people did listen to the CD and somehow manage, through sheer force of will against the imposing sheparding gaze of the music industry's hype, to make their own choices and give reviews based on their honest opinions. Comon man, you're basically saying that you didn't like it, so nobody else should either because the album is obviously a "steaming turd." So...instead of making up their own minds and not following the popular opinion, they're supposed to follow yours? Uh, I fail to see the difference that would make. Instead, people seem to have done exactly what you have suggested: given honest reviews based on what they thought of the disc. ...and what exactly does the fact that you're a Brit have to do with anything? Personally, I thought the disc was decent. It has its hooks, good beats, and melds together fairly well. But, it just doesn't feel as original as their earlier release, which is to be expected. This disc is worth a listen.… Expand

its good

8 for the originality,10 for the creativity of the samples and loops; 4 for not trying to take this to the next level; 9 for the production quality; 4 for trivial lyrics. total a well deserved 7.

I think this album is pure crap. I am a brit and I kinda liked Original Pirate Material because the beats were fresh and original. His style was quirky and different and it felt like some geniune effort had gone into the album. This album, sounds like its completely unrehearsed and unplanned, the beats suck and listening to skinner and his mates singing his lame hooks is about as enjoyable as vomiting and looking for the peas. No effort has gone into this offering and I've produced better beats with Cubase and a sample cd. Not even worth dowloading this steaming turd. I just don't understand how it can get such good reviews and it just goes to show how many sheep there are in the industry, everyone jumps on the band wagon and follows the leader. Get a life make your own choices and don't support sh*t albums like this. … Expand

A modern day flaneur, creating a philosophy upon the most mundane of daily activities. His concept is simple; it just a day in the life of Mike Skinner.

Brilliant!!! let all the naysayers eat a D$#@. We love you M.S. keep it comin.RESPECT

Doesn't have the stand out tracks of Original Pirate Material, but still is a great collection of musings. "Empty Cans" is a brilliant record.

This album is a let-down compared to Original Pirate Material. Skinner's schtick wears thin early on when all he does is gripe about poor me type sh!t. At least with OPM there was some edge to the beats and his delivery was refreshingly different and varied between tracks. Now he seems to have shifted to cruise control, making some kind of "concept album" using presumably an episode of his own life as the muse. The result- listenable but unimpressive. The critics have been jizzing over this album but I can't believe they've actually listened to it, or if so they must not have heard OPM first. Anyway, they've got me scratching my head, cause I don't get all the fuss.… Expand

Pure Quality! Great story on top of good beats. Dry Your eyes is by far The Streets best ever song.

its of the hook

The album that follows a successful debut LP presents a significant problem. Do you rinse, wash and repeat the previous formula, hoping that it will sound just as good the second time round, or do you attempt to explore new territory with the risk of alienating old fans and failing to acquire new ones? A copy-cat album would most likely have seen The Streets branded as a one hit wonder parody and this undoubtedly played on his mind as he attempted to conjure up an album that would stay true to his everyday UK style roots whilst, at the same time, charting new waters. This he has achieved by producing an intoxicating mix of old and new. There are many thematic similarities between 'A Grand Don't Come For Free' and 'Original Pirate Material'. For 'Blinded By The Lights' read 'Weak Become Heroes'. For 'Fit But You Know It' read 'Don't Mug Yourself'. For 'Dry Your Eyes' read 'It's Too Late'. But it's here that the similarities end, for unlike its predecessor, 'A Grand Don't Come For Free' can be loosely termed a concept album. But unlike the pretentious art-rock efforts of years gone by, AGDCFF is not a po-faced attempt at communicating the meaning of life to a mentally ‘inferior’ audience. It’s merely a first person narrative whose tracks are ordered in linear progression into a story with a beginning, middle and end. The album begins with Skinner’s trademark simplicity. We find its main protagonist Mike, one of life’s perennial losers, embarking on a day that is destined to end in ‘tragedy’. He fails to return an overdue DVD on time, finds his cash machine has significantly less funds in it than he previously thought (isn’t it always the way!?), his dead mobile phone prevents him from calling his mum in order to explain away his absence from tea and he loses the titular grand of the title. It is Skinner’s ability to take such mundane everyday occurrences and weave them into intoxicating tales that mark him out in the music world. Without spoiling the rest of this engaging tale for you, our hero Mike will find himself falling in love, holidaying in Ibiza, placing ill-judged bets on football matches and coming under the spell of one too many narcotic substances along the way!!! What’s clear on this album is that narrative concerns have taken priority over lyrical flow, with much of the wordplay stuttering and stammering even more so than on OPM. It’s not long before one adapts to this slight shift in wordplay delivery but it is noticeable nonetheless. In the beats department, it’s a case of new mixed with old once again. While the sonic arrangements are trademark Streets, all synth strings, low skittering bass lines and piano loops, they have been taken to a higher and more diverse place than in his original LP. Whether it’s the R&B tinged ‘Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way’, old-skool trance anthem ‘Blinded By The Lights’, traditional garage with ‘Get Out Of My House’ or the sweet piano stabs of ‘Could Well Be In’, AGDCFF displays a musical flair and deft of touch that goes above and beyond the level reached on his first album. In the end, Mike Skinner has created a statement of intent in showing that The Streets project is not merely a one hit wonder novelty event but a serious attempt at bringing UK hip hop into the mainstream. AGDCFF earned equal if not greater plaudits from the music and style press than its predecessor and the chart success of the album and its second single, ‘Dry Your Eyes’ are testament to this, with both reaching number one in the UK and Ireland… Expand

great albumn and even better when hes live!!

This CD is incredible. I can listen to it all the time and get something new from it. To Trust or not to Trust that is the name of the Game.

This album is difficult to define. It's like "The Office" meets "The Wall" or something. The quality of the rapping (or talking) and music is usually nothing to write your homies about, but somehow the end result works great. I've listened to it about five times now straight through, and I rarely listen to albums straight through. Great piece of work they made.

Some of the most unique beats I've ever heard. This album is well put-together. An enjoyable story that gets better with each listen. Get this album any way you can! A must-hear.

A little disapointing thought the 1 album is way ahead of this but did like the beats!!

Great cd, but often a bit too much of a story than a song. The streets rule.

Mike Skinner took a lot of risks to make this album. The first time I listened to it, I thought that is was less than Original Pirate Material, but the more you listen to it, the more the pieces fall together. Briljant album; if this is the best album of 2004, I think we have no right to complain.

master pece for the first time in a long time it's an album thats moved me

Bloody Superb!!!!

Brilliant!!! let all the naysayers eat a D$#@. We love you M.S. keep it comin.RESPECT

Brilliant!!! let all the naysayers eat a D$#@. We love you M.S. keep it comin.RESPECT

I can't stand this cd. Theres a few good parts but the majority of the cd is incredibly difficult to listen to. The tracks sound good but the british accent totally works against getting a flow going as far as word-play goes.

GRAND DONT COME FOR FREE is a really majestic album. I find The Strees a great new breath of good shit. Keep it up, yeah.

This Cd is one of those that gets better and better with each listen. A Grand Dont Come For Free sounds completely original and moving on from the made for schoolgirls poppy hip hop and garage scenes. This Cd isnt about the music or skinners vocal talent, which arent tewrrible but not outstanding, but his delivery is spot on, moreover the lyrics are honest, funny, witty and expressive. Its more like looking into the mind of the average british teenager, listening to his thoughts and events. This is what makes it stand out as a modern classic. Some may not get how listening to someone talking is music, and maybe it isnt exactly, but I just cant get enough of the humour and intelligent lyrics. And pretty much anyone can relate to the lyrics. Skinner isnt the British equivalent of eminem, its nothing to do with him being white or anything like that. The Streets is in a class of his own, and this album is a classic.… Expand

You can't have but high expectations for this eagerly anticipated second installment from The Streets. Original Pirate Material rang out promises of originality, marrying an unusual blend of 2-step/British garage, hip hop and lucid lyrics, and you?re led to believe that at last, British hip hop is capable of coming all unto its own. You thought that if someone?s going to do, it may as well be Mike Skinner. A Grand Don?t Come Free is a severe disappointment. All at once, the album is bland, elementary, repetitive, and a waste of time. The lyrics are watery and boring. Skinner is locked into some moronic quest to make good his mediocre, day-to-day existence, which quite frankly is not ?street?. It's not clever nor is it artistic. It?s dreary and I am not sure Skinner really tried that hard. More astonishingly, it?s garnering overrated and bloated reviews coast to coast from many of music?s fiercest critics. I can only reason that reviewers (mostly the Americans) who like Skinner's style may find his social commentary on Brit youth culture more fascinating than what whinging poms like me feel about this album, which is as appetizing as pig tripe. … Expand

I hope my vote brings down the overall score for this terrible album. It's a shame I beleived waht was written in these high-score reviews for A Grand.... after listening to it, I 100% disagree with all of them. Come on people, you made me waste my money on a crap album. You're suppose to critics, not lemmings.

Will never top the first album, especially not with this effort.

this is a great album that holds a hidden story if listned to correctli

Best album I've come across in about a decade. Well, five years at least.

yea!!

at the end of the record, you feel as if you have reached nirvana

This album is amazing. Mike Skinner talks about the most normal things in the most minute detail that really makes you think. If you pay attention, the songs all together also tell a story, which is something I've never heard before. Much more polished and together than "Original Pirate Material."

Great Album. Even better in concert. Although for me Original Pirate Material is still my favorite Skinner album.

I am AMAZED!

the whole album story is greatly depicted, very nice tracks and awesome beats, esp "blinded by the light" and "dry your eyes"

Better than OPM. MUCH better. This album is a true storytelling classic

The spirit of Ian Drury lives on .

This is the epitome of awful music. His ryhmes, or lack thereof, are a mindless dribble of nonsense. II admit that nothing else sounds like this; but to many people are influenced into thinking that it is good because of that.This is bad music; there is no flow, there is no good content, and there is only a slow, lethargic and rough stream of noise. I think that the beats are good but to put such rubbish over the beats is sacrilege. Not one critic has given a good reason as to why he believes that this is a good album. The fact that this album got such high reviews just goes to show how biased these pundits are towards new concepts. Critics laud those who make new extreme, albiet awful, music while critizing those who make good rock or hip-hop albums. A Grand Don't Come For Free is just cut and dry bad music. Do yourself a favor and pick up some good music.… Expand

This is not Original Pirate Material. Yes, whereas OPM had its brief valleys here and there ("Sharp Darts" and "Geezers Need Excitement" come to mind), A Grand Don't Come For Free maintains basically the same quality throughout. Owing to the carry-over storyline and the similarity in the beats, it does not waver much from side to side. But neither does it soar as high as OPM when it shined its brightest - and did that album ever shine! We may be able to blame this on the absence of that pleasant surprise wow that accompanied one's discovery of Skinner's first effort. And maybe it just isn't as good. Certainly the humor is back in spades; "It Was Supposed to be so Easy" and "Get Out of My House" make sure of this. There is no pulsing call to arms reminiscent of "Turn the Page" or "Let's Push Things Forward." Nothing as emotive as "It's Too Late." No dreamy memorial like "Weak Become Heroes." A Grand... plays over a day or maybe two, and bounces from one crisis to another, one encounter to the next. It's excellent at that, and interesting and funny and worth checking out. It just isn't Original Pirate Material. And for that it can be forgiven.… Expand

Sorry why do you hype this man! He has minimal talent and is plainly musically retarded, wanna listen to a good english MC listen to Plan B, album out on 26th June in UK, hard hitting and relevant this is just totally Sh*T! Crap rhymes and Sh*tty beats!

mint

I'm pretty sure I could also make an album that sounded "like nothing else..." unfortunately it would be total garbage, just like this one. Call it lost in translation, say Americans just don't get it, whatever you want....this is annoying to the ear right off the bat, and it doesn't change the 2nd time around, either.

this album is truly original and uniqe i give it 10 out of ten because i am totally in love with this album.

he's talking, thats it he's talking with a slight hint of a rythm plain bollocks

The first song I heard off of this album was What Is He Thinking...I was drunk off a couple of forties, and my brother and I were making a jingle for the top twenty underground music count down in Wisconsin...we thought the song was terrible, and an hour later we were kind of curious and went back and played track one. We listened to every word from track one to the last track, and didn't really say anything about it because we'd spent ten or twenty minutes dissing it earlier, saying how we rap a billion times better, and blah blah. Over the next few days, we kept finding each other listenening to a song and quickly closing the window when the other walked in. This album, we eventually decided, was the best hiphop album in a fukin' long time. His rhyme's suck, his flow is a bit off, and a lot of thug types we played it to said it was crap, but the guy's a poet. He's not the "Eminem Of British Rap"--he's Guy Ritchie of rap music. Everything about this album is perfected, as far as I'm concerned. When he sounds as though he's reading off a piece of paper, it's as though he has formed a picture and wants us to appreciate it word for word, not ride along to the crappy beats. I was surprised by how many people liked this album; I thought no one would understand the story and the real life shit that went into this. Everyone I play it for, though, is hooked. Whatever. Its a hell of an album, and it ranks on my top ten favorite albums, and will for a long time. Anyone who's bit fucked over once or twice, and is paranoid about life, knows about empty cans. Seth of the 12 Professors.… Expand

Great album... nobody and i say nobody makes this kind of music.. inovative and extreem. Lyrics that people can relate to and maybe even some phylosofie in the tracks Brilliant

just 1 word for this album BRILLIANT !!!

One of the best CD's released in the past few years. It doesn't matter if you like rap or not, you should listen to this album.

This disc is brilliant.

The frenzied rhymes and references of 'Original Pirate Material' are far less present on 'Grand', and sometimes engaging wordplay is sacrificed for the sake of the concept (much more 'The Irony Of It All' than 'Let's Push Things Forward') . The beats and hooks are less engaging, too, ostensibly to focus attention on the story - this is the Final Cut to Original Pirate Material's Wall, although that's a fairly hackneyed comparison. It does reward close attention, though, and it's still pretty damn fun to listen to. Skinner's frustrated outburst at losing his cellphone is worth the price of admission alone.… Expand

Mike is a class above everyone else.Brilliant album.Get it.

exceptional album.

It took guts to make a concept album in the genre, great stuff

At first listen i didn't think this record was beter than "Original Pirate Material." I was wrong...Mike has showned me a side of him i didn't think he had in him. Good job mate...keep up the good work.

just bad.. no beats, no harmony. just a long boring story. unacceptable for a band like the streets...ill try the next albun just in case they were "baked" when they made this one..

very different from OPM, I've listened to this album for awhile now and there are a few tracks that I just couldn't get into (5 and 6) but there are some great ones that grow on you with time (not addicted, such a twat). Fit but you Know is the only one that jumped right out when I first heard the album, thats a kick ass party song. All in all very interesting album to listen to but I still think the best from the Streets is yet to come… Expand

Genius. Make sure you listen to it from start to finish.

I thought it was great, especially "dry your eyes", which I think showed the versatility of Skinner. I know a lot of people who think how can a white English boy turn heads? Well, just listen because this guy is creative, edgy, and unpredictable. I have to say that his first album is better and has more singles than this one. But still, the album as a whole might very well be the best of a dismal year.… Expand

cool

Good because it's the streets, but really it's pretty average. I had high expectations after OPM but this is a poor follow up. Losing money in a TV? Come on.

How people can listen to The Streets in the first place baffles me! He doesn't sing or rap, he just talks! Who cares about listnening to stories about fast food and complaining about his broken TV, etc. The Streets for me, are overrated and just plain boring. And for his comparison with Eminem, he's not even in the same league!

I love it!

I dont get it. I mean, its creative, but not really my thing. I respect this guy, but hes far from being a lyrical genius. I hope this isnt where hip hop is heading. Personally, hip hop album of the year/decade is Madvilliany. This is more like techno with spoken word.

So what makes this album so great? It's definatley not Mike Skinners ryhms, they're almost spoken word. What does make it great however, is the fact that when listened to, you can see yourself being a buddy of Skinner. His british charm is undeniable, and the songs are all so evryday that he becomes easy to identify with. When you hear conclusion of the final track "empty cans," you can't help but feel a range of emotions that makes you realize that you love this album.… Expand

This album requires some time and some attention, but if a listener is willing to spend enough of both, he or she will be able to appreciate an album that better captures the importance and significance of everyday events than any other I've ever heard. Mike Skinner simultaneously rejects and worships a wide range of musical genres in order to combine them into whatever will capture the part of his story he is sharing with us at the time. Truly a transcendent work.… Expand

If you are expecting Original Pirate Material then you are expecting too much. What Mike Skinner did with his debut is not repeated here wit A Grand Don't Come for Free. A Grand is it's entity, chalk full of narative, a great lead character in the pill popping s Skinner himself, and a ssupporting cast full of turncoat mates, angry birds and fit as all hellll beeyatches. Skinner is telling a tale of woe that we all go through from time to time . He has given a voice to the self aware youth that reside in the urban landscapes of not only London but NYC ,Chicago, LA, etc. A Grand is a triuphant narrative that is mixed into a personal soundscape of pots and pans beatss, machine-gun fire guitars, chilled out after party grooves, and a doubled up surprise ending that is not only told once but rewound and told again. From which perspective do ou believe is purely upto the listener. The Streets are the shiznitz. hands down one of the best albums of the year.… Expand

this is just some bloke talking over elevator music ain't it. the 1 is for fit but don't you know it vid, but the album is shit

A great album and so special becuase MIke Skinner truly is making music like no one else. Original Pirate Material was, song for song, probably a better record, but this one is so intriguing and works so well becuase Skinner's ability to tell a truly engrossing story over the course of this cd's eleven tracks. great stuff.

1 of the best albums ever skinners jus wicked and it was the best concert ive bin 2 an its great music 2 get lost in

This album is definetly best when listened to in it's entirety. Definetly unique and innnovative.

I just didn't get it. It's highly-rated, but it seemed more like talking over electronica than music to me.

too sweet

Skinner is lyrically amazing. His songs flow is great, and is accent while rapping is an amazing asset to his songs. He can take really normal situations, and relay them in a perfect sence.

A great follow-up album and depicts a young-single man's life with his mates, girls and money excellently

i love this album its great. blinded by the lights is awesome

Reminds me if David Brent from BBC's The Office made a rap album. mike Skinner can't rap, he just speaks in a brit accent over crappy beats. How does this get such great reviews? Just awful

I hate rap, and I mean REALLY HATE. But this album? it's absolutely fantastic - It's just plain unique, Skinner has created an absolutely amazing, unique and creative album that has nothing else to compare with. Some nice easy background music. 100% recommended - and just to reiterate, I _HATE_ rap, but BUY THIS!

First off, THIS IS NOT HIP-HOP OR RAP! THIS IS NOT your normal music. So for all of you who expect that and can't handle a truly new form of music, move on. This is for those of you that GET music, that recognize someone that is not only good for creating something new, but also for the genious it. It's a form of spoken word over overly complex programming...mostly off beat. This album is a story. It's emotion. It's human. The beats are random at first, but organized and structured perfectly to complement Skinner's delivery. A Grand creates a world for the listener to drop into. It's not your life, it's not what you're used to hearing, and that's the whole point. It's a reflection of experiences, of maturing, but still maintaining one's identity. From the unknowing opening to the retrospective conclusion, most people should be able to relate to this. A stellar follow up to Original Pirate Material, and one count the days until the release of The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living and see how Mike's perception of life has changed.… Expand

Incredible, unique, - a genius is born.

It's at least as good as his first album.

Not as good as the critics say. i'd recomend buying "original pirate material" by them. i find this album slow and preachy. A 7

Americans don't get this record. LOL at Americans.

Really cool album! People who say that they don't get it just don't listen to the words or even the music. The story is really cool and the beats are backing vocals are great. (Try out Dizzee Rascal's Boy In Da Corner if you like this) It may at first be a little hard to get used to (being American, it's hard to at first get past the accent) but it's ultimately rewarding!

Excruciating. It may be supposed to be a parody of Eminem - it sounds a lot like Jilted John, which was definitely a parody of punk - and if so it's grimly hilarious. Otherwise...

Incredible record. When I first listened to it, years ago, I was vaguely impressed, but not engaged. After a few listens some songs started sticking out, I began caring about the narrative more and more. Songs I hated became incredible, all leading up to one of the best closing songs of all time, Empty Cans. If you don't care for it now, give it a listen every 3 or 4 months, you may come around to love it.… Expand

This album was great!

this is what hip hop COULD be, but instead we have to listen to Petey Pablo.

While the rhymes aren't quite as good as OPM, the fact that this CD is basically a story, from the first song to the last, makes it an amazing album. He obviously put care and feeling into this album, and thats what matters in music. If you listen to the lyrics, you cant help but become involved in the story. I will admit the rhymes are a little elementary, but what does that matter if the content is pristine? I recommend at least listening to this album. I mean REALLY listen, not just have it on.… Expand

People who don't like this item and who are using eminem or 50 cent rappers (who btw pay radio and tv stations to play them and their repitions on the airwaves "brainwashes" morons into thinking that they are good) as comparasons of "quality rap" are morons. I bet most of the people who said this cd sucked have never picked up an instrument or rapped in their lives. As one who does BOTH, this guy may not be "tight" in his flow or superbly lyrical but his simple storytelling and nice harmony forms well though-out songs. Look at the Beatles; their songs were not complex or lyrical...they repeated the same things over but were loved by the world. Bob Dillan didn't sing when he arrived, but it was his fantastically vivid yet simple storyteklling that reflected the times in which he lived. That is what a good musician does: Tell a vivid story and take the listener into their world, in the end seeking to envoke a feeling. I am a hiphoper in America so don't front ppl, i know what im talking about. This guys going places.....im just hoping i can get there before he does! … Expand

A Grand... ...the answer to hip hop with meaning

Unique sound, doesn't change style much from original pirate material, but enough so that it stays fresh. excellent thought and emotion provoking lyrics and music. I would definitely say worth buying. blinded by the lights, and empty cans are awesome songs. all the pussies who need to talk on their cell phones all the time bitching to their friends and need so much support from everyone need to listen to empty cans. those ppl don't care about you in the end, and your all you got. … Expand

Masterpiece.

Truly extraordinary. Like a difficult novel, it bears repeated readings, each of which reveals more of a story, each layer of which is increasingly complex and substantially more satisfying.

Very good, more of a cohesive album than his debut but not as many killer individual songs.

complete original anybody who slates this album will be eating their words in years to come, a sure classic!!!

I don't love it, but I really like it. Some of the beats and "singing" (e.g. the chorus for 'such a twat') can be bland/obnoxious but it's very engaging overall - including Mike's "British flow".

This almost seems as a sort of homage to the narritive form that one would find in such rock opera's as Quadrophenia or Tommy. Yet, this seems to be executed much better than that. Yes, it's a story, but its a wonderful piece of music as well. It is good to know that someone in the hip hop genre still has innovation on their side. Mike Skinner does not dissappoint.