St. Elsewhere (album)

St. Elsewhere is the debut album by American soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006, in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006, in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a digital download in the US iTunes Store. St. Elsewhere debuted at No. 20 on the US Billboard 200, and peaked at No. 4. It topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart for 39 non-consecutive weeks in 2006 and 2007.

St. Elsewhere
Studio album by
Gnarls Barkley
ReleasedApril 24, 2006 (2006-04-24)
Recorded2005–2006
Genre
Length37:20
Label
ProducerDanger Mouse
Gnarls Barkley chronology
St. Elsewhere
(2006)		 The Odd Couple
(2008)
Singles from St. Elsewhere
  1. "Crazy"
    Released: March 13, 2006
  2. "Smiley Faces"
    Released: July 17, 2006
  3. "Who Cares?" / "Gone Daddy Gone"
    Released: November 6, 2006

The album's first single, "Crazy", was the first song to become a UK number-one single based solely on downloads.[1] The album was certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA, for shipping 1,000,000 units.[2] A limited edition deluxe package of St. Elsewhere was released on November 7, 2006. The CD + DVD package includes a 92-page booklet, four music videos, and bonus songs from live performances. It was also released on vinyl.

Background

The group created an elaborate backstory for the "Gnarls Barkley" persona, claiming to be close friends of Lester Bangs, Isaac Hayes, Gordon Gano, and lovers of Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey.[3] The character taught the band Kraftwerk English, as well as set up a meeting between the group Wu-Tang Clan and members of the Stuckist art movement.[3] In promotional photographs, the group wears costumes similar to the character Alex from A Clockwork Orange.[3]

Composition

In an interview with New York, Gnarls Barkley were asked if they intended to make a contemporary psychedelic record with St. Elsewhere. Producer Danger Mouse agreed, wishing to fuse melody with experimentation like late-1960s music he admired.[4] Indeed, Elsewhere sees Cee-lo Green's neo soul style[5] set against Mouse's psychedelic rock[4] / soul[3]-infused music.

"Creepy-crawly" hip hop also features,[6] yielding a "big [and] amorphous" take on the genre.[7]

Critical reception and awards
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The A.V. ClubB+[7]
Entertainment WeeklyA[6]
The Guardian[3]
The Independent[10]
Los Angeles Times[11]
NME8/10[12]
Pitchfork7.7/10[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
Spin[15]

The album received general acclaim from critics: At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81 out of 100, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 37 reviews.[8] It was rated the best release of 2006 by PopMatters.[16] In 2007, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, with nominations for Album of the Year and Record of the Year for "Crazy". St. Elsewhere placed on Slant Magazine's list of best albums of the 2000s at number 92.[17]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Danger Mouse.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Go-Go Gadget Gospel"
2:19
2."Crazy"
2:58
3."St. Elsewhere"
[c]		2:30
4."Gone Daddy Gone"
2:28
5."Smiley Faces"
  • Burton
  • Callaway
3:05
6."The Boogie Monster"
2:50
7."Feng Shui"
  • Burton
  • Callaway
  • Nino Nardini[e]
1:26
8."Just a Thought"
  • Burton
  • Callaway
  • Kevin Peek[f]
3:42
9."Transformer"
  • Burton
  • Callaway
  • Marlene Moore[g]
2:17
10."Who Cares?"
2:27
11."Online"
  • Burton
  • Callaway
1:48
12."Necromancer"
  • Burton
  • Callaway
2:57
13."Storm Coming"
  • Burton
  • Callaway
3:08
14."The Last Time"
  • Burton
  • Callaway
  • Ian Langley[i]
3:25
Total length:37:20
iTunes bonus tracks[18]
No.TitleLength
15."Crazy" (Instrumental)3:00
16."Go-Go Gadget Gospel" (Instrumental)2:14
Amazon bonus tracks[19]
No.TitleLength
15."Transformer" (Instrumental)2:10
16."The Boogie Monster" (Instrumental)2:49
Deluxe edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Crazy" (Video) 
2."Gone Daddy Gone" (Video) 
3."Smiley Faces" (Video) 
4."Go Go Gadget Gospel" (Video) 
5."Gone Daddy Gone" (T4 Live) 
6."Who Cares?" (T4 Live) 
7."The Boogie Monster" (T4 Live) 
8."Smiley Faces" (T4 Live) 
9."Crazy" (T4 Live) 
10.""Crazy"" (Live on Top of the Pops) 
11."Gone Daddy Gone" (Live on Later... with Jools Holland) 

Sample credits[20]

  • ^[a] "Go-Go Gadget Gospel" contains samples from "Goin Down to Freedom's Land", written and performed by Nicolas Flagello.
  • ^[b] "Crazy" incorporates elements and samples of "Last Man Standing", written and performed by Gian Franco Reverberi and Gian Piero Reverberi.
  • ^[c] "St. Elsewhere" incorporates elements of "Geordie", arranged by Barry Clarke, David Costa, Celia Humphris, and Stephen Brown, and performed by Trees.
  • ^[d] "The Boogie Monster" incorporates elements and samples of "Ku Klux Klan Sequence", written and performed by Armando Trovaioli and Angelo Francesco Lavagnino.
  • ^[e] "Feng Shui" incorporates elements and samples of "Tropical", written and performed by Nino Nardini.
  • ^[f] "Just a Thought" incorporates elements of "A Touch of Class", written and performed by Kevin Peek.
  • ^[g] "Transformer" incorporates elements of "Rubber Solution", written by Marlene Moore and performed by Lee Mason.
  • ^[h] "Who Cares?" incorporates elements of "Mono Ski", written and performed by Keith Mansfield.
  • ^[i] "The Last Time" incorporates elements and samples of "Chicano Chaser", written and performed by Ian Langley.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[20]

Gnarls Barkley

Additional musicians

  • Ced Keys International – piano (1), synthesizers (12)
  • Daniele Luppi – arrangements (3, 8, 10—12), organ (3, 10), synth bass (3, 8), Minimoog (8, 11), orchestration (13)
  • David Piltch – additional bass guitar (3), bass guitar (11)
  • Ben H. Allen – guitar (4), bass guitar (4)
  • Dr. President – keyboards (4), bass guitar (5, 6), organs (5), guitars (5, 12)
  • Tomika Walden – background vocals (5)
  • Menta Malone – background vocals (5)
  • Eddie Reyes – acoustic guitar (8)
  • Chris Tedesco – trumpets (10, 12)
  • Eric Bobo – drums (11)

Samples

Taken from the St. Elsewhere liner notes:[21]

  • "Go-Go Gadget Gospel" contains samples from "Goin' Down to Freedom's Land" written and performed by Nicolas Flagello.
  • "Crazy" incorporates elements of "Last Man Standing" written and performed by Gian Franco Reverberi and co-written by Gian Piero Reverberi.
  • "St. Elsewhere" incorporates elements of "Geordie" performed by Trees and arranged by Barry Clarke, David Costa, Celia Humphris and Stephen Brown.
  • "The Boogie Monster" incorporates elements of "Ku Klux Klan Sequence" written and performed by Armando Trovaioli and Angelo Francesco Lavagnino.
  • "Feng Shui" incorporates elements of "Tropicola" written and performed by Nino Nardini.
  • "Just a Thought" incorporates elements of "A Touch of Class" written and performed by Kevin Peek.
  • "Transformer" incorporates elements of "Rubber Solution" written by Marlene Moore.
  • "Who Cares?" incorporates elements of "Mono Ski" written and performed by Keith Mansfield.
  • "Online" incorporates elements of "Welcome to the Rain" written by Flip Davis and performed by Mid Day Rain.
  • "The Last Time" incorporates elements of "Chicano Chaser" written and performed by Ian Langley.

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[60] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[61] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[62] Platinum 100,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[63] Gold 20,000^
France (SNEP)[64] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[65] Gold 100,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[66] Platinum 15,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[67] Gold 7,500^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[68] Platinum 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[69] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[70] Platinum 1,400,000[71]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[72] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
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  2. PRESS RELEASE Gnarls Barkley Receives RIAA Platinum Certification; Duo's Debut Honored for Sales Exceeding One Million; "Crazy" Makes History While Scoring Three MTV VMA Nods from Market Wire
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