Length 49:32 Artist Elbow Label V2 Records | Producer Elbow Release date 12 September 2005 | |
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Released 12 September 2005 (UK)
21 February 2006 (US) Recorded 2004–2005 at Blueprint Studios, Salford, Greater Manchester Leaders of the Free World
(2005) The Seldom Seen Kid
(2008) Genres Alternative rock, Indie rock, Art rock Similar Elbow albums, Alternative rock albums | ||
Elbow station approach
Leaders of the Free World is the third studio album by English rock band Elbow, released on 12 September 2005 in the UK and 21 February 2006 in the US on the V2 record label. The Japanese version of the album (released on 7 September 2005) features two bonus tracks, "McGreggor" and "The Good Day", which were both B-sides to the first single "Forget Myself". Leaders of the Free World was entirely produced by the band at Blueprint Studios in Salford, Greater Manchester, a space the band hired for the duration of their recording sessions. The album reached number 12 on the British albums chart.
Contents
- Elbow station approach
- Elbow leaders of the free world
- Album cover
- Track listing
- Japanese version
- Singles
- Additional musicians
- Songs
- References
The band teamed up with video artists The Soup Collective to produce an integrated music and video DVD to accompany the album. In the UK there was a limited edition release of the CD and the DVD in a gatefold sleeve. When released in the US, initial limited copies contained the bonus DVD (with alternatively-colored green artwork).
The song "Mexican Standoff" was also recorded in Spanish. This version appears as a B-side to the "Leaders of the Free World" single.
The album was certified 3× Platinum (sales of 900,000) in the UK by the BPI. As of February 2017, it has sold 1,075,761 copies.
Elbow leaders of the free world
Album cover
The album cover is highly reminiscent of the 1976 album A Trick of the Tail by Genesis. However this is completely coincidental, because the cover's designer hadn't seen the Genesis cover art prior to designing it. The album cover depicts five characters from the songs on the album itself:
- The ticket conductor from the train in "Station Approach" (or possibly the bus conductor in "Great Expectations").
- The bouncer ("the man at the door") from "Forget Myself". During "An Imagined Affair", Garvey sings "I drink until the doorman is a Christmas tree" possibly meaning the same character.
- The man "kicking up mischief" and drinking from "Picky Bugger" (or possibly the man who drinks "until the doorman is a Christmas tree" in "An Imagined Affair").
- A Mexican, from "Mexican Standoff".
- A man needing patching up, with tea and a bicycle pump, as in "Puncture Repair".
Track listing
All tracks written by Elbow; all lyrics by Guy Garvey.
Japanese version
All tracks written by Elbow; all lyrics by Guy Garvey.
Singles
In the UK, there were two singles released from the album:
Additional musicians
Songs
1Station Approach4:22
2Picky Bugger3:07
3Forget Myself5:22