Fave Elbow album?

Thanks Ticky

Cast of Thousands
The Seldom Seen Kid
Asleep in the Back
Leaders of the Free World

Might aswell put mine in here too, and I'll be the first to include BARB, even if perhaps a little early to judge it fairly (this order of preference is subject to change often at whim):

1. The Seldom Seen Kid - - cos it took their songwriting & arrangements to another level
2. Cast Of Thousands - - mostly excellent songs, and that gritty Ben Hillier sound
3. Asleep In The Back - - loved this since release, some very intense moments
4. Build A Rocket Boys! - - liking more all the time, very bare, honest feel
5. Leaders Of The Free World - - some great songs, some less so, and the least pleasing drum-sound of
any Elbow album!

OK. Maybe time to update this with barb!...

1) Asleep in the Back
2) Leaders of the Free World
3) Cast Of Thousands
4) The Seldom Seen Kid
5) build a rocket boys!

I think at the moment, I'd be confident in this listing....

1, The Seldom Seen Kid
2, Leaders Of The Free World
3, Asleep In The Back
4, Cast Of Thousands
5, build a rocket boys !

All great albums in their own ways and nothing lower than an 8 out of 10.

Misspelt Yoof wrote:

OK. Maybe time to update this with barb!...

1) Asleep in the Back
2) Leaders of the Free World
3) Cast Of Thousands
4) The Seldom Seen Kid
5) build a rocket boys!

What he said.

1) The Seldom Seen Kid
2) Asleep in the back
3) Cast of thousands
4) Build a rocket boys!
5) Leaders of the free world

LongLegs wrote:

Misspelt Yoof wrote:

OK. Maybe time to update this with barb!...

1) Asleep in the Back
2) Leaders of the Free World
3) Cast Of Thousands
4) The Seldom Seen Kid
5) build a rocket boys!

What he said.

Il run with that aswell

Cast of Thousands
The Seldom Seen Kid
Asleep in the Back
Leaders of the Free World
Build A Rocket Boys!

1. Cast of Thousands/The Seldom Seen Kid (tied)
2. Asleep in the Back
3. Leaders of the Free World/Build A Rocket Boys (tied)

1. The Seldom Seen Kid (possibly my fave album of all time).
2. Leaders of the Free World (all songs on here are great but one transcends the album into bloody great territory...two words: Great Expectations).
3. Asleep in the Back/Build a Rocket Boys! (tied)
4. Cast of Thousands (still good stuff, Fugitive, Switching and Ribcage immense but rest of album is inaffecting by Elbow's standards)

Asleep in the back = Cast of thousands = Leaders of the free world = The seldom seen kid = build a rocket boys!

For me, up to TSSK each album was better than the last, for me BARB has interrupted that trend, its a great album with the usual stunning tunes but to be honest in general its not as amazing as the last 3 for me. Love them all though I have to say

The Seldom Seen Kid
Leaders of the Free World
Cast of Thousands
Build a Rocket Boys!
Asleep in the Back

Overall, it has to be Asleep in the Back... could never get tired of listening to it. It's one of those albums that is best listened to from beginning to end, unlike later albums that you can 'dip' into. At the same time as a huge Elbow fan who has seen them every time they have come to Ireland, I am so chuffed with their success and I love every album that they have made, and Build a Rocket Boys grows on me more and more .. Favourite song would be a tougher one to answer, but I would probably go for The Bones of You....

1. The Seldom Seen Kid
2. Leaders of the Free World
3. Build a Rocket Boys!
4. Cast of Thousands

aaand.. haven't really heard a lot of Asleep in the Back, but I'm giving it a spin now.

The Seldom Seen Kid is simply breath taking from start to finish. All the tracks are incredible - "The Fix" feels a little out of place (can't work out why), but it's one of my favourite albums otherwise.

Cast of Thousands is growing on me - I love Snooks (Progress Report) and Ribcage, but the others I'm still not sure about.
Their earlier stuff is harder to appreciate.
I'm sure with a few more listens I'll be a huge fan!

Welcome to the board, Puncture Repair! Great minds think alike on sigs.

Puncture Repair wrote:

All the tracks are incredible - "The Fix" feels a little out of place (can't work out why), but it's one of my favourite albums otherwise.

Maybe it's Richard Hawley's co-write coming through on The Fix? RH's own style is quite different, so perhaps inevitable the track reflects some of that.

mrswoman wrote:

Welcome to the board, Puncture Repair! Great minds think alike on sigs.

Maybe it's Richard Hawley's co-write coming through on The Fix? RH's own style is quite different, so perhaps inevitable the track reflects some of that.

Haha, thanks for the welcome!

It may very well be RH - It makes sense I suppose.
Not that it's a bad song, but it's a little too quirky for an otherwise mellow album.
It gives The Seldom Seen Kid a little more energy, especially as it's inbetween Some Riot and Tower Crane Driver, makes a good dynamic shift.

1. Cast of Thousands
2. Asleep in the Back
3. The Seldom Seen Kid
4. Leaders of the Free World
5. Build a rocket boys!

I think all 5 albums are amazing in their own way, But, I particularly LOVE Leaders of the Free World

BARB is my favourite, for so many reasons... too much detail to really elaborate, but I can narrow it down to one song... Dear Friends. Easily my favourite Elbow song. In so many ways it reminds me of the friends I've made at university.

The whole album itself is a story which, to me, narrates my time at uni, which has been the best time of my short life. Plus, there's a beer named after the album. Now, I'm a student, and if there's one thing I love, it's beer!

Asleep In The Back (been a fan since 2000/2001) is always going to be my favorite of the current 5.  Its brilliance blows my mind.  

Every album since then has been a solid second to AITB, meaning the other 4 are of exceptionally high quality and contain songs I can't live without.

My favorite (as a cohesive album) is always The Seldom Seen Kid.

On a related note, if anything ever tops "Some Riot" performed with the BBC Orchestra, I'll be sure to let you know.