original pirate material

The Streets-Original Pirate Material [2002]

Original Pirate Material is the debut album by the English rapper and record producer Mike Skinner, better known as The Streets.

The album is a unique take on UK garage and lyrics dealing with everyday circumstances and occurrences. The album received massive acclaim from the music press and was embraced by fans of indie and rock music, as well as fans of garage. The album originally rose to #12 on the UK Albums Chart in 2002, but peaked at #10 in 2004 after the release of his significantly more successful second album A Grand Don't Come for Free. In Australia, Original Pirate Material peaked at #57.

In the United Kingdom, five singles were released from Original Pirate Material: "Has It Come to This?", "Let's Push Things Forward", "Weak Become Heroes", "Don't Mug Yourself" and "The Irony of It All".

The cover artwork photograph of Original Pirate Material is by German photographer Rut Blees Luxemburg called Towering Inferno. The towerblock pictured is Kestrel House on City Road, London, which has now been fitted with an wind turbine.

Pitchfork Media rated the album as number ten on their list of the top 100 albums of 2000-2004. They later placed it at 36 on their list of the best albums of 2000-2009.

In March 2003, NME placed Original Pirate Material at number 46 on their list of the "100 Best Albums of All Time".

In November 2009, NME placed Original Pirate Material at number 9 in their list of the "100 Best Albums of the Decade". and Observer Music MonthlyObserver Music Monthly announced Original Pirate Material as the best album of the decade. The critic Simon Reynolds placed the album at the top of his favourite albums of the 2000s list, with a "special 'in a class of its own' award."

Track listing

1. "Turn the Page" – 3:15
2. "Has It Come to This?" – 4:04
3. "Let's Push Things Forward" (featuring Kevin Mark Trail) – 3:51
4. "Sharp Darts" – 1:33
5. "Same Old Thing" (featuring Kevin Mark Trail) – 3:22
6. "Geezers Need Excitement" – 3:46
7. "It's Too Late" – 4:11
8. "Too Much Brandy" – 3:02
9. "Don't Mug Yourself" – 2:39
10. "Who Got the Funk?" – 1:50
11. "The Irony of It All" – 3:30
12. "Weak Become Heroes" – 5:33
13. "Who Dares Wins" – 0:34
14. "Stay Positive" – 6:18