Grand Don't Come For Free, A [PA] - Streets (The) > Reviews > ard enuf2memba opinions wivout memberin reasons4em

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
Value for Money

Advantages:	Great lyrics, story like format, something a bit different !
Disadvantages:	Not to everyones tase, one weak track

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I was a Streets fan back in the days before "Fit But You Know It" and "Dry Your Eyes" when people were still claiming "I don't like 'them'" even though the Streets is not a them but a he - Mike Skinner. A lot has changed since the Original Pirate Material and the tracks have perhaps become a bit more commercial. That happens, it happened with Oasis, Travis, Embrace....I could go on. Consumer demands must be met. However this is not always a bad thing and although different from the previous album "A Grand Don't Come For Free" is still without a doubt an exceptional work of art.

The CD contains 11 tracks and if you listen to the album from start to finish it tells a story, much like a book or a film and you begin to feel you know a fair bit about a particular period of Mike's life.

The tracks are as follows:

01. It Was Supposed To Be So Easy
02. Could Well Be In
03. Not Addicted
04. Blinded By The Light
05. I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
06. Get Out Of My House
07. Fit But You Know It
08. Such A Twat
09. What Is He Thinking
10. Dry Your Eyes
11. Empty Cans

Track 1, "It Was Supposed To Be So Easy" is a great way to start the album. It tells the story of one of those days where everything goes wrong and you feel like you've accomplished nothing. It starts off with Mike explaining his days plans; to return a DVD, tell his mum he wouldn't be back for tea and get his savings - of course none of it goes to plan;

"Today I've achieved absolutely nought
In just being out of the house, I've lost out
If I wanted to end up with more now
I should've just stayed in bed, like I know how"

In this track Mike's savings, a grand, go missing while all his mates are sat in the room and this story is followed through the whole album. Hence the title of the album.

Track 2, "Could Well Be In", is slower and more tuneful and is about a first date that's going pretty well;

"I saw this thing on ITV the other week,
Said, that if she played with her hair,
She's probably keen
She's playin with her hair, well regularly,
So i reckon i could well be in."

Here comes another mention of the missing grand;

"I told her about the money and what had occurred,
With it goin missing from the living room side,
With my best mates all there standin by,
Right where I left it, under their eyes.
So surely one of them might have spied
What happened to my money at that time.
I felt like they were all smilin on the side."

The next track, Not Addicted, I feel is a let down to the album. It sounds loud and not at all tuneful and is about betting which isn't really my thing;

"Instead of betting on to win the football
I'll bet to lose the cricket"

Track 4, Blinded By The Light, is about being high. From listening to the track I imagine it in a big club but on the video they look like they are at a wedding party or something. A good song which feels more like the tracks on the first album with a bit of drug induced dance element to them. This song hints at the first suspicions of something going on between Mike's girlfriend Simone and his best friend Dan;

"I hate coming to the entrance, just to get bars on my phone,
You have no new messages, so why haven't they phoned?
Menu, write message, so where are you and Simone?
Send message, Dan's number, where've they gone?
And im thinkin'...
(Lights are blinding my eyes)
Why's the message pending? Where the f*ck are ya?
And i'm thinkin'...
(People pushin' by, and walkin' off into the night) "

Unfortunately Mike get's to mashed to care when they do arrive and Simone's kissing Dan. Uh-oh;

"Yeah yeah they cheer - can they see my hand in the air?
Need to wave 'em over here.
Swear Simone's kissing Dan.
My head is twisted severe,
Body's rushing everywhere,
They could have texted me when they were near, But i'm fucked and i don't care. "

Track 5, I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way, is about the dilema of staying in smoking a spliff and watching the telly with Simone or going out and getting drunk with the lads. Tough choice;

"I know I never tell her
But every single day man
I'm always thinking loads about her
She's the best thing that ever happened to me
And I don't know what I'd do without her"

"I would actually much prefer to just sit here and chill
Roaching a spliff, watching East Enders or the Bill
Because basically I love her
And I love being here still
And I love sitting on the sofa
With my girl
For real
I don't want to knock my mates
But there it's the same old drill""

"I've got one package
Of rizla over there
but it's nearly run out
I've got bits of cigarette
All over the place
Mmmmhmmm
The clipper needs a shake
The ashtray needs emptying
But I wouldn't have it any other way"

Track 6, Get Out Of My House, is a fight between Mike and Simone. It really makes me laugh as it reminds me of me and my ex boyfriend. The chorus says it all;

"Go, get out of my house
Please
And actually give me back my keys
But
I'll be proper angry
If
You're not back later on your knees"

However, Mike puts his argument back accross well;

"It's hard enough to remember my opinions
Without remembering my reasons for them
You're confusing me now
I'm not gonna give you an example
I can't remember an example
You do it all the time
You know, that thing that you do
I...look, I can't remember when you last did it can I?"

Track 7, Fit But You Know It, was the first single to be released off the album and is quite well known. It's about Mike on his lads holiday and about a girl who is fit......but she knows it! We all know one of them don't we?;

"But theres just one little thing that really really,
Really really annoying me about you you see,
Yeah yeah like i said you are really fit
But my gosh don't you just know it?"

Track 8, is Mike feeling a bit guilty about playing away from Simone and worrying that he could have ruined everything. It is not very tuneful but an essential track in the story telling element of the album;

"Why did I have to go and do a stupid thing like that?
Coz yeah it felt like we were through though
But I could've ruined it, I'm such a twat"

"Yeah I'm too aware that last night was way mad slack
I know
Carried in a gang I lost sight of Simone
On her own back at home
Distracted from the fact it weren't right
Could have raised up the hand but no
Simone was moaning and that about me playing away on this holiday"

"See I mean that the true thing though I suppose I chose myself to allow
I was weak and stupid but as far as I viewed anyhow
She couldn't have been it for me, the only girl id ever go out with

"I didn't want to waste my youth in a girl's house to the sound of spliffs
And when she got in a mood with me in that text about that thing
I just switched off the phone when she started shouting
Coming to a conclusion I couldn't be bothered with anymore rowing"

And then Mike see's the good point of him cheating on Simone - it's helped him realise how much he doesn't want to ruin it. Male minds work in mysterious ways but at least he appreciates her now;

"And if she ever found out how far it got it would be more than just a row
This whole thing just got on top but its her that I want, no doubt
So in a way its helped me doing wrong
I know I've f*cked up now
This is where that dodgy shit stops
She's just gotta not find out"

Track 9, What Is He Thinking, finds Mike at his friend Scotts house where he notices his coat that mysteriously went missing a while back. Has Scott stole the coat? No. Simone borrowed it from Mikes, and then Dan thought it was Simone's coat and wore it and brought it to Scotts. They can't tell Mike that thought because then he would know that Dan had been at Simone's house;

Wayney G (Scott) -

"He must've picked it up from Mikes dear
Girls house When the weather wasn't clear
The man must've thought it was Simone's coat
We didn't think it was Mike's coat though"

"I can't tell Mike this man didn't know
And innocently borrowed the coat at Simone's
Cos then Mike would demand to know
Why this man was even at Simone's"

Mike get's the wrong end of the stick and thinks Simone is cheating with Scott and not Dan and that Scott stole his money and coat;

Mike -
"Hang on Scott says Simone had the coat
Where did he see her on the d.low
What is it I don't need to know?
Is he scheming to be near Simone?
In the club I wondered what was on the go
Dan was tryin to keep Scott from being close
And Scott teefed me money and his teefed me coat
And he's trying to steal me girlfriend from under me nose"

Scott-
"Right I can't be bothered with this no more
I'm gonna have to tell him I owe him the score
I wish I could tell him about the dough on the draws
That's somethin' I don't know, I swore"

"He really needs to know how his jacket
Miraculously appeared round my gaff, here
And the man that left it's been shagging
Mike's girl behind Mike's back and thing
This shit's all got a bit out of hand
There's no options I'm all down on plans
I'm jus' gonna have to split it now, man
Tell Mike the person that bought the coat round
Was...................Dan"

The next track, Dry Your Eyes, is the aftermath of finding out about Simone and Dan. This track was released as a single and did well independently but I think once you have followed Mike's story throughout the album by this time you're really feeling for him and this fits perfectly into place. I also listened to this a lot when me and my boyfriend split up;

"In one single moment your whole life can turn round
I stand there for a minute starin' straight into the ground
Lookin' to the left slightly, then lookin' back down
World feels like it's caved in - proper sorry frown"

"So then I move my hand up from down by my side
It's shakin', my life is crashin' before my eyes "

"'Cause I can't imagine my life without you and me
There's things I can't imagine doin', things I can't imagine seein'
It weren't supposed to be easy, surely
Please, please, I'm begging you, please "

"I'm not gonna f*ckin', just f*ckin' leave it all now
'Cause you said it'd be forever and that was your vow
And you're gonna let our things simply crash and fall down
You're well out of order now, this is well out of town"

The last track, Empty Cans, draws both the album and the story to a close. It marks the end of his relationship with Simone, but the beggining of the rest of his life. I think it's a perfect way to end the album. It is split into two parts, one that is dark and gloomy where he is wallowing in self pity and then it turns half way through and starts to see things more positively. Much like you do after a break up. I should mention another story that runs thorughout the album is Mike's TV being broken this get's solved in this final song;

"If I want to sit in and drink super tennants in the day I will,
No-ones going to f*cking tell me jack,
But can you rely on anyone in this world?
No you cant; its not my fault theres wall to wall empty cans"

"Everyone wanted this to all go wrong for me from the start"

"Scott texted me to say he'd have a look at the TV for me,
But i layed it down telling him to f*ck right off chap."

"No-one gives a crap about Mike;
Thats why i'm acting nasty.
You know what you can do with your life;
Introduce it up your jacksie."

"If I want to sit in and drink super tennants in the day I will,
No-ones going to fucking tell me jack,
But can you rely on anyone in this world?
No you cant; its all my fault theres wall to wall empty cans.
I sat in the kitchen all fucked off,
Imagining over and over what they're all doing behind my back.
Dodgy things going on, actions i regretted,"

"Scott texted me telling me he'll have a look at the TV for me,
And I Felt like just telling him to fuck right off chap.
But what he said about wanting to do the right thing by both mates,
And then opting to stay out - it seemed to match.
But i's told him he could make it up by fixing the TV,
He said thats the least he could do to square things flat.
I thought that would be that but then the next bit was mad,
This is where everything started to all turn back."

"The end of the something i did not want to end,
Begining of hard times to come.
But something that was not meant to be is done,
And this is the start of what was."

"And when he looked down the back of the TV, his eyes just froze,
Before he rammed his hand in saying, no sh*t.
He's looking at me absolutely speechless, he can't quite believe what hes trying to pull out the slip.
I get up wondering what he's smiling about, he's shaking his head at this point,
With the biggest of grins;
I look down the back of the TV and thats where it was, in all its glory - my thousand quid."

"Maybe its that i realised that it is true;
No-ones really there fighting for you in the last garison.
No-one except yourself that is, no-one except you.
You are the one who's got your back 'til the last deeds done."

Overall I think this is a brilliant album. It also makes one of the lyrics off the first album become very true. On the track, Stay Positive it says;

"This is about when shit goes pear-shaped
And if you aren't or ever have been at rock bottom Then good luck to you in the big wide world
But remember that one day sh*t might just start crumbling
Your bird might f*ck off or you might loose your job"

At the start of this period in his life Mike had a girlfriend he loved and a grand but it doesn't mean those things can't be lost. However by staying positive things can get better. He finds his money and even meets a new girl called Alison in the final track and most importantly he's got his mates there for him.

I would recomend this to anyone who isn't bothered about the occasional f*ck or sh*t as even if you don't like swearing if you can get past that you will find and extremely talented young man with a story to tell and he does it well.