Asleep In The Back - Elbow
  • Band Name: Elbow
  • Record Label: V2
  • Release Date: Jan 22, 2002
User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 25
  3. Negative: 2 out of 25

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  1. Mithrandir
    Mar 1, 2003
    7
    Sir Spite Full is wrong. Catherine Wheel did produce an outstanding album: "Ferment". It remains one of the shoegazing era's best offerings. Catherine Wheel has produced some lousy albums but "Ferment" is emotional noisy guitar heaven. Absolutely essential. As for Elbow, I think they are slightly overrated. Critics tend to drool over them whereas I wish they had a better sense of melody.
  2. Tee
    Mar 7, 2002
    3
    boring. no two ways about it.
  3. MarkJ.
    Jun 28, 2002
    9
    It's slow but not boring
  4. codyg
    Mar 15, 2003
    10
    brilliant!
  5. MacMac
    Jul 31, 2003
    10
    Best debut for a long long time
  6. [Anonymous]
    Oct 11, 2002
    10
    simply one of the best, most emotional and mind-blowing records of all time. hard to imagine it's a debut.
  7. G$DaGoosePimpPumpernikel
    Apr 1, 2002
    9
    beautiful
  8. Craig
    Jan 14, 2004
    10
    one of the best debut albums i've heard in the past few years.
  9. MrMikey
    Aug 24, 2004
    8
    Cracking debut, 10 years in the making. Newborn is the stand out track for me as I just feel that its a full on aural assault of the best possible kind. Slow to mid tempo? Yes. Boring? Anything but.
  10. MikeS.
    Mar 11, 2002
    2
    Very disappointed, way too slow and boring for my taste. Does not come close to living up to the great reviews IMO. It basically sounds like a bad Catherine Wheel CD.
  11. SamS.
    Mar 17, 2002
    9
    truely human, with genuine spirit and soul!
  12. DomS.
    Aug 13, 2003
    9
    A bad Catherine Wheel CD? More like a good Catherine Wheel CD would only hope to sound like this. What has everyone said? Texture texture texture blah blah blah. Sure, there's texture, but this is a collection of some of the dankest, moodiest, visceral music of the year. I only wish I could live in Machester to truly experience this perfect soundtrack.
  13. SirSpiteFull
    Nov 14, 2002
    7
    it sounds like a bad Catherine Wheel CD (see user review below)? Do NOT trust the opinion of anyone who thinks there is a GOOD catherine wheel CD!!! this is interesting chamber pop, even if occasionally it lapses. Catherine Wheel...christ, i can't believe people even think about them anymore...
  14. kammi666
    Dec 10, 2010
    10
    Absolutely beautiful album. Its filled with eerie and melancholy sounds mixed with some sweet riffs and effects. Definately worth a listen. Slow, moody, at times melancholy, but by no means boring.
  15. Ricko
    Jul 31, 2012
    8
    Low key debut that lays out the blueprint that Elbow went onto develop and expand on. It's got a very strong first half but I feel it tapers off a bit in the 2nd half. That said, the closer "Scattered Black and Whites" is one of the albums highlights. Overall, it's a soft and gentle record with some really beautiful songs. Garveys vocals are perfect for the delicate instrumentation and like the records the produced afterwards, it's a record that just makes you feel warm inside.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 19 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Ink Blot Magazine
    80
    Elbow understand how to make an album flow without sacrificing the unexpected turns any good record should have.
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  2. Dot Music
    80
    You'll struggle to find any filler on a record that works magnificently as a whole.
    Read full review
  3. CDNow
    80
    One listen to Asleep in the Back's "Newborn" invokes a feeling of unmistakable contemplation and a sense of beauty entirely absent from the repertoires of the Oasis and Verves of Brit rock's last generation.
    Read full review
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