Blinded By The Lights by The Streets
May 21, 2004 | 
28 Comments
The Artist: The Streets
The Song: Blinded By The Light
The Album: A Grand Don’t Come For Free
Released 2004
A Grand Don’t Come For Free is a classic.
If you have ever thought about checking out one of my recommendations and haven’t done so I suggest you do it now.
With this release Michael Skinner (who basically is The Streets) has, in my mind anyway, just skyrocketed to the top of my most respected MCs list. A Grand Don’t Come For Free is one the best rap albums to come along in awhile. It’s really that good.
It’s a story album much like Prince Paul’s A Prince Among Thieves but the story is much more real. In fact this is one of the most honest, real world works of art I’ve ever witnessed.
It’s a day in the life of Mike and his friends. Nothing extraordinary story-wise, but the music and lyrics paint an entertaining and extraordinary visual picture in your mind.
You can almost feel the drugs and see the club kids all around when listening to this week’s song, “Blinded By The Lights.” Each song is like a chapter, having it’s own characters, plot and voice. The production is great and again, Skinner’s off-kilter delivery and quirky sense of humor really make this album a true classic.
Recommended if you like: Dizzee Rascal, Morcheeba, Eminem, Roots Manuva, The Roots, Prince Paul, Badly Drawn Boy
Filed under: Song of The Week
Comments
1. Karl Bedingfeild said:
It’s a stunning album!
My favourite is ‘Dry your eyes’ - About love lost and trying to hold on to your girlfriend when she wants out. He tells it like it is!
Posted on May 21, 2004 10:12 AM | #
2. Seth Thomas Rasmussen said:
Hmm, I’d sorta forgotten about those guys. I have a copy of “Original Pirate Material”, or whatever that one was called. I enjoyed it, though I found it overall to be sort of mediocre. A few standouts though.
Posted on May 21, 2004 10:40 AM | #
3. bennion said:
check out npr’s take on the album. very cool
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1901268
not a big ‘rap’ fan but this album is definatetly worth the purchase price.
Posted on May 21, 2004 12:14 PM | #
4. Rutger said:
I absolutely love this. great album, superb lyrics, and genuinely funny and heartwarming at the same time.
Posted on May 21, 2004 01:22 PM | #
5. Adrian Rinehart-Balfe said:
I have been hearing this alot on the online version of BBC Radio. Thanks for putting a name to it for me and taking the load off my wallet!
Posted on May 21, 2004 02:15 PM | #
6. Michael Heilemann said:
I personally think Original Pirate Material kicks the living bejesus out of A Grand. I was sorely disappointed, being a huge fan of the first album :(
Posted on May 21, 2004 02:16 PM | #
7. la1itree said:
I was a huge fan of Original Pirate Material, and Iove this new one a LOT. My fave is the last track: it seriously gets me. But, “Blinded” is pretty amazing too. Skinner is a supremely talented geez, he is.
Posted on May 21, 2004 10:58 PM | #
8. supercrisis said:
I just recently picked up Original Pirate Material and was wondering if The Streets had done anything recently. I’ll have to look into this.
Strange coicidences; I picked up Good News for People who Love Bad News on the same week that you put Float On up as the SOW.
Posted on May 22, 2004 08:31 AM | #
9. Chris Hester said:
Yeah I heard that Dry Your Eyes one and was blown away by it. Slow, classical backing, not what I was expecting!
People at work had heard other tracks on the radio and were raving about them.
They had lots of hype on the first album, but not much success (here in the UK). But now they’re huge.
Can’t wait to hear more from this album…
Posted on May 23, 2004 01:56 PM | #
10. Pete Fairhurst said:
It’s apt that Skinner’s front is called “The Streets” - it’s such ground-level stuff, you can’t help but connect with it irrespective of the context.
Absolutely sublime, and glad to see it’s making its way to different shores so quickly.
Posted on May 24, 2004 12:14 AM | #
11. Rabbit said:
Well I did it. :)
I went out and bought both albums. I’m working my way through the latest one as I write this.
*Very* different from what I normally listen to. The more I listen the more I like it.
Thanks for expanding my horizons. :)
Posted on May 24, 2004 12:54 AM | #
12. John said:
I’ve been a big fan, and had eagerly awaited the release of ‘A grand…’, so much so that I went out and bought it on the day it was released (25 Euros for it in Ireland!).
I must say that I agree with you on ‘Blinded by the Light’, it’s my personal favourite on this album. I was somewhat disappointed with some of the tracks, though, ‘Get out of my house’ is a real let down.
I had hoped that the album would be packed full of tracks like ‘Fit but you know it’, as Original Pirate Material was, and was suprised to hear the change from the original wide boy rap style Mike perfected.
My verdict? 7/10.
Posted on May 24, 2004 03:31 AM | #
13. paul haine said:
I’d seen them perform ‘Fit But You Know It’ on TV recently, and didn’t like it at all, but only minutes ago I heard ‘Dry Your Eyes’ on 6Music and loved it…so now I’m not sure whether to get this album or not. To those of your that have heard the lot, which song is the more typical? ‘Fit But You Know It’ or ‘Dry Your Eyes’?
Posted on May 24, 2004 08:36 AM | #
14. Keith said:
Paul – Neither is more typical. The songs on this album are really all over the place. That’s probably why I like it so much. I can say that “Fit But You Know it” is the only song like that on the album. I really like that song and it does grow on you as does the album.
Posted on May 24, 2004 10:02 AM | #
15. MaThIbUs said:
What? Eminem is recommended if you like The Streets? No way!
Posted on May 24, 2004 11:02 AM | #
16. Keith said:
MaThIbUs – Why, cause you don’t like Eminem? I know quite a few people who like them both….
Posted on May 24, 2004 12:28 PM | #
17. eric said:
just caught his latest gig here in london… a very impressive show with live band and wicked stage setup. definitely check him when he’s off to the states.
photos/review on my blog. and, yeah, blinded by the lights is my fave track. so english, so accurate, so true.
Posted on May 24, 2004 06:37 PM | #
18. patrick said:
excellent album. an english buddy of mine (i’m a naïve southern california boy) turned me on to ‘the streets’ and it’s been growing on me quickly. it’s also great to have someone around who can translate some of the english slang for me.
favorite song: empty cans
Posted on May 25, 2004 02:36 PM | #
19. Paul Hughes said:
I have to say this is one of the best albums that i have listened to in a few years. A great album that deserves maximum recognition. My favourite song also has to be “blinded by the lights”.
Posted on May 26, 2004 03:15 AM | #
20. Gary said:
Great album. Just as gud as the first. Blinded by the lights is a tuuune. Cant wait for them to do anuva album in future
Posted on May 26, 2004 03:18 AM | #
21. Wilfred said:
The Streets have gone past my expectations in a very big way, a truly amazing album that demonstrates reality and quality in the same album. Nearly speechless due to the passion that i have for it.
Posted on May 26, 2004 03:22 AM | #
22. dan said:
It’s an awesome album. Blinded by the Lights gives me shivers. As does Dry Your Eyes. I hope he does a sequal, i can’t wait to hear more tales from The Streets.
Posted on May 26, 2004 10:10 PM | #
23. James said:
it was supposed to be so easy…
and Mike really makes it seem that way.
For me its a case of once bitten forever smitten.
I love The Streets.
Posted on May 27, 2004 08:38 AM | #
24. jeff said:
‘Blinded By The Lights’ is a good track, but the two others that I’ve heard from this album (‘Fit But You Know It’ and ‘It Was Supposed To Be So Easy’) have sent me looking elsewhere.
Posted on June 2, 2004 02:24 PM | #
25. Pyxie said:
the streets rule. the mix of techno and rap is awesome, and his words fit in perfectly with the beats. ‘blinded by the lights’ and ‘has it come to this’ are two of my favorites. !get this cd!
Posted on June 24, 2004 05:41 AM | #
26. gemma said:
When i first heard ‘The Streets’ i didnt understand the hype they had caused. My friend convinced me to get a grand……and it is now my fave album i own. ‘Blinded by the lights’ is amazing….makes me stop wot i am doing and just listen. All the tracks are different and touch on some form of my personal reality. Ive been totally converted and am amazed by the talent of Mike Skinner.
Posted on July 8, 2004 03:49 PM | #
27. DuttyBobb said:
I’m from Canada and I’ve heard a few tracks from The Streets recently from one of my friends and I absolutely love it. I’ve always been a fan of Garage, the Artful Dodger and all, but The Streets is different. It’s really not quite anything I’ve heard before.
Mike Skinner is a very conscious MC with a very original flow. It doesn’t sound like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, The Roots, or Eminem. It’s just him doing his own thing. It’s nice to hear great MCs from across the pond; it gives people like me an honest view from there.
Posted on August 6, 2004 12:47 AM | #
28. jackncoke said:
i heard this in the car with my parents in back i knew i should have put it off but it was like true to what it feels like in a nightclub 10/10
likeness a great song BLINDED BY THE LIGHTS
Posted on October 9, 2004 02:30 AM | #
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