Elbow

TheOtherDennis

Been fan since I first heard That Bloody Song, and now that the overplaying has died down, I still quite like it, but I know some people can find them irritatingly middle-class and proto-hippy positive all the time (even though that's not actually true if you listen to the lyrics). I like them, though, have the last four albums and there are some fabulous tunes and rhythms on them. The title track from Little Fictions, their latest, is a belter.

Anyway, this has been helping me through some very lumpy times recently.

http://elbow.co.uk/videos/?v=HvIJL06DSV8

Danny1969

Saw them live at Victorious this year, never expected to enjoy them as much as I did. Very well written songs and top notch vocals and musicianship 

ICBM

Initially didn't want to like them because of the relentless over-promotion on the BBC when they seemed to be flavour of the month, then found that I did actually quite like a couple of tracks, then picked up a few of their albums second hand, quite liked them for a while, but eventually started to find them irritatingly dull and gave them all away.

Grunfeld

I didn't like Elbow because of a daft reason.
And I'm still not super keen but....
Thanks to @holnrew I discovered "Switching Off"
And that is now one of my favourite songs ever.

Placidcasual79

TheOtherDennis said:

Been fan since I first heard That Bloody Song, and now that the overplaying has died down, I still quite like it, but I know some people can find them irritatingly middle-class and proto-hippy positive all the time (even though that's not actually true if you listen to the lyrics). I like them, though, have the last four albums and there are some fabulous tunes and rhythms on them. The title track from Little Fictions, their latest, is a belter.

Anyway, this has been helping me through some very lumpy times recently.

http://elbow.co.uk/videos/?v=HvIJL06DSV8

Sorry to hear about the lumpy times bruv. 

Bit of Elbow can always soothe the soul. Leaders of the Free World and Seldom Seen Kid are two of my favourite albums. 

Dominic

I have heard 2 tracks and thought that they were absolutely dire .........truly awful

proggy

Funnily enough, I went to see an Elbow tribute band last night called 'Arse'.

You couldn't tell them apart.

Fuengi

Danny1969 said:

Saw them live at Victorious this year, never expected to enjoy them as much as I did. Very well written songs and top notch vocals and musicianship 

I saw them at Victorious too, beautiful evening and fantastic set. Watched with my 14 Year old son, my wife and some friends and it was right old love-in. Great day, cracking festival. 

badlydrawnbanjo

Love the idea of them, but the reality is that they bore me to tears. 

capo4th

Bunch of boring arse if you ask me.

Guy Garvey needs to lighten up, get over his middle class problems and get out more.

Stuckfast

Saw them a few years ago at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge and they were great -- not least because they managed to get amazing live sound in a venue that has dismally bad acoustics. Which is odd because their albums sound terrible!

DiscoStu

Loved them since the first album. I remember hearing them on the radio and genuinely thought it was Doves with Peter Gabriel on guest vocals, and that to me was a great idea! 
They're not as good as they used to be but I still enjoy their arrangements and Guy's lyrics and voice still hook me in.

Saw them years ago at Connect festival and thought they were fantastic. 

Cirrus

I really liked them back in the day - first introduction was a Q cover CD that had Newborn on it, I loved that track then I stumbled across them playing Reading, maybe 2004? Enjoyed that first album, and Leaders of the Free world. Good songs, interesting production.

Seldom Seen Kid was excellent too, though I didn't really rate the big hit, One Day Like This. I saw them on the tour supporting that album at the old O2/Carling Academy in Birmingham. Best live sound I've ever experienced, it was perfect and a great show.

After that I kinda lost interest. The album after that only had one good song imo, and they (quite understandably) went down the route of trying to re-create the most commercially successful parts of their breakthrough and lost some of the melancholic vibe.

My absolute favorite track of theirs is "Powder Blue".

Whitecat

Cirrus said:

I really liked them back in the day - first introduction was a Q cover CD that had Newborn on it, I loved that track then I stumbled across them playing Reading, maybe 2004? Enjoyed that first album, and Leaders of the Free world. Good songs, interesting production.

Seldom Seen Kid was excellent too, though I didn't really rate the big hit, One Day Like This. I saw them on the tour supporting that album at the old O2/Carling Academy in Birmingham. Best live sound I've ever experienced, it was perfect and a great show.

After that I kinda lost interest. The album after that only had one good song imo, and they (quite understandably) went down the route of trying to re-create the most commercially successful parts of their breakthrough and lost some of the melancholic vibe.

My absolute favorite track of theirs is "Powder Blue".

This take nails it for me...

'Asleep In The Back' is still my favourite record by miles. They've not done anything *bad* since then... there is something to like in almost everything they do but less and less of it grabs me as being essential.

After that Seldom Seen Kid album cycle finished, they played a huge show at Wembley Arena - it was their first arena show. My wife and I went but even though we managed to get right up to the very front, we still felt that something was lost in that setting so I haven't seen them live since. 

maw4neu

Elbow . . . Quality :-) . . . Slow burner for me  . . .Didn't like them for a long time initially but I eventually got . . . Great lyrics

TheBigDipper

I like Elbow. A fine band with a decent singer who writes excellent, moving lyrics. The band all play to the song and Guy Garvey communicates well with their audience. I've seen them many times and never failed to enjoy myself. 

CHRISB50

I really like them. They seem to be pretty consistent and are a little bit different too.

Mirrorball is a personal favourite of mine.

digitalkettle

Took a punt on 'Asleep in the Back' back in 2001 because I liked the album cover in the Britannia Music Club catalogue

Loved them ever since...and I think they may be going from strength to strength. I do admit to being touched by Guy's writing...sometimes I think it helps to be slightly northern and over 40. They're like an antidote to all the guitar crap that I listen to.

Funnily enough, I never saw them live (despite living in Manchester during their formative years) until this June when I went to one of their Forestry Commission gigs: one of the best concerts I've been to.

So many great tracks...top 5 for today in random order:
- Scattered Black and Whites
- Mexican Standoff
- The Bones of You
- Lippy Kids
- New York Morning

Cirrus

digitalkettle said:

- Scattered Black and Whites

Ooooh man.

Back when Swine Flu was a thing I was off work for a week, after the first couple of days in bed it was just feeling generally weak, foggy head, like a bad cold, and moping round the house - you know that phase of being ill where you're on the mend and you've come to terms with it, rather than being furious that it's happened to you?

I listened to that whole album one afternoon about four days in, and when that final track came on I wept like a fucking baby. Don't even know why. I blame the flu, but what a good song.

TheOtherDennis

@digitalkettle I love Mexican Standoff, it's a great track.

@Cirrus - I can see why you thought Build A Rocket Boys wasn't up to The Seldom Seen Kid, but The Take Off and Landing of Everything and Little Fictions are much better than Build A Rocket, Little Fictions especially.

I'm also keen on Sad Captains, it has a great chorus.

I can see why some would think they're boring or dull, but I certainly don't think they whine or need to cheer up - I find a lot of their music immensely positive and uplifting, which is why I've been using them to help me through some rough times lately. 

Never seen them live in person, but I've watched them on Glastonbury a couple of times and the concert I've put in the link in the op is terrific. Guy Garvey is a great frontman, and he really knows how to handle a crowd.

darthed1981

Elbow are great, but a chap I work with recently said something I've been saying for years and I laughed at the irony...

"Anyone else remember when Elbow were a poor mans Doves?"

I sure do.