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| St. Elsewhere | 
 enlarge | Artist: Gnarls Barkley
Label: Downtown
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $5.66
You Save: $13.32 (70%)
New (45) Used (58) Collectible (1) from $4.71
Avg. Customer Rating:  236 reviews
Sales Rank: 1305
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 70003
UPC: 878037000320
EAN: 0878037000320
ASIN: B000F3AAUW
Release Date: May 9, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Faith restored at St. Elsewhere! May 22, 2006
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
Just when I was about to give up on popular music as a whole, along comes Gnarls Barkley to restore the faith. "Crazy", the first single off the album made the record books here in the UK by being the first single to make it to number one without the single actually being available in the shops. It got to the top of the charts by download sales alone. The album also promptly shot to number one on the album charts upon its release and one listen will tell you why. I just can't stop playing it!
The producer known as Danger Mouse and the singer known as Cee-Lo have put together a magical concoction of soul, rhythm and blues, gospel, hip hop and whatever else takes their fancy, and the end product is just damn good music, pure and simple. This is not for the fainthearted nor the listener with narrow-minded stereotypical expectations of what music should be. This is daring adventurous stuff and thank goodness for that. Someone once told me that Cee-Lo is of the same mindset (musically and artistically) as Andre Benjamin from OutKast. I didn't see it then but I see it now. If you're into the uniqueness of OutKast, you'll love this.
It's impossible for me to choose favourite songs here, which I'm still trying to wrap my brain round (What? A 2006 album where I like ALL the songs?!) but "Crazy" and "Smiley Faces" are both instant classics. And please, check out these lyrics on the song "Who Cares?": "You see everybody is somebody, But nobody wants to be themselves; And if I ever wanted to understand me, I have to talk to someone else..."
Now THAT is how a lyric should be written. The kind of stuff that makes you stop and think.
Observers are already asking whether Gnarls Barkley could possibly be the saviour of an ailing music industry? If their success encourages more music makers to have the courage of their convictions, step outside of the box and dare to be different and original, I very much believe they could. My only complaint? I agree with most of the other reviewers of this album - it's all over way too soon!
Truly Exciting May 8, 2006
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
Basically, there has been a groundswell in the past 6 years of sample-based hip-hop , in which creative producers find the most unlikely licks and tracks from early 70s proto-funk, mid 60s jazz, 80s fusion-funk and anything else you can think of, put it in a blender and bounce it on out to thumping beats. This of course all has its roots in early nineties hip hop, but recent underground greats like Madlib, Jay-Dee, Doom and goods like DJ Shadow and Rjd2 have been pushing the envelope. We can see a lot of this strange brew emerging in the mainstream in Kanye West and others, but albums like Dangerdoom and Madvillainy show the underground selling well in their own right. I believe that Gnarls Barkley is going to be the great crossover hit that will send tweenie 13 year olds tired of bubblegum rap digging through the crates for old hip-hop, soul, gospel and funk albums to find out what real music is.
This album, in short, is truly great. Cee-Lo, a more mainstream rapper/singer/producer with a phenomenal voice and a great energy, teams up with Dangermouse to create a thrilling energy that should capture the attention of kids who like to swing and adults to miss the thrill of Marvin Gaye and Al Green. The continually exciting underground hip hop scene reaches a real peak on this album, and Cee-Lo shines like he never has before. Recommended for anyone looking for a great introduction to what is exciting in music today.
I'm not a hip-hop person, but I really like this CD!! February 10, 2007
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
I heard "Crazy" on the radio and I thought that someone had remixed a Marvin Gaye song that I had never heard. The song sounds like old-school mo-town with a new-spin backtrack.
I immediately went online and found out what I could about this song and the CD. Amazingly, I loved it. I say amazing because I do not like pop music; as a matter of fact, I don't like most current music.
This CD has a few songs that are a bit too much for me, but over all I love the CD.
Here is how I would break down the album.
Fantastic Songs; those which make the album great - Crazy, St. Elsewhere, Smiley Faces, Just A Thought, Who Cares?
Good Songs; those which fill out the album without destroying it - Go-Go Gadget Gospel, Gone Daddy Gone (a remake of a Violent Femmes song which I didn't care for, but this version is OK), Feng Shui, Transformer, Necromancing, Storm Coming, The Last Time
OK Songs; the 2 that I don't care for - The Boogie Monster, On-line
All-in-all, this is a great CD in a sea of releases by clones and copycats who are unimaginative and/or untalented. Most music today sounds like every other song from it's genre. Music has not felt inspired in a long time but this CD has broken the mold for me, an old-school music lover. The music, even sampled which I usually hate, takes on a life of it's own. Listen to the lyrics too because they are pretty deep. These guys have proven that music can still be original, lyrics can be something other than contrived and ambiguous.
My wife says I am closed-minded when it comes to music. She is right. With very few exceptions, I only like music from before 1980; classic rock, mo-town, jazz, blues, swing, classical; to me, everything else seems like regurgitated, processed crap. I have found very few albums that were released after 1980 that I liked. Thankfully, this duo has proven that creativity is still alive in an industry that capitalizes on the popular without any desire for original art.
This album is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale and stagnant musical landscape.
 fakeout July 13, 2006
8 out of 22 found this review helpful
Reviews in magazines said that this was great CD; that all the songs were great. I had only heard the song "Crazy" and I really liked it. So, I thought I'd trust the reviews and try it out. It turns out that "Crazy" is the only song on there that I like. The rest was just bizarre, especially the first track; none of it was anything like their hit song.. The only advice I can give, seen as everyone has different taste, is to make sure you hear more of the CD before you bother buying it.
Welcome To St. Elsewhere September 13, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Gnarls Barkley is producer Danger Mouse and Southern rapper Cee-Lo. The album is a broad and varied mix between everything from Hip Hop, to Funk, Soul, Pop and Electro with samples that also vary from a broad range of sources (which itself is the whole point with sampling) you find unique samples fom odd or forgotten sources and you recycle them in a smart way. Not just copy and paste hits from the 70's or 80's like many hip hop artists do these days. Gnarls Barkley samples from 60's pop: progressive/psychedelic and Italian Sountrack music, in particular Daniele Luppi. The result is that it sound exciting, entertaining and fresh. If You like Gorillaz, you'll probably like Gnarls aswell, Danger Mouse created the beats for Damon Albarn and co. for their second album "Demon Days" and the genre is simular. But apart from Gorillaz, Gnarls are even more exciting in the sense of lyrics and originality. The lyrics differ from schizophrenic, to Paranoid and plain crazy and while listening to this record I can proudly say that I've never heard something simular. Danger mouse is an excellent and very creative producer that has arranged all the diffrent sources he had into one great concept full of exciting beats, melodies and crazy lyrics, while Cee-lo can both rap and sing and hence is a very useful member.
First song is called "Go-Go Gadget Gospel" and is actually a gospel song but all those crazy hypnotic horns makes the song very diffrent. Although only 2 minutes it's the perfect intoduction to what is coming in the world of "St Elsewhere". "Crazy" the title track that spent countless of weeks peaking at #1 on the Uk charts and now also climbing on the Billboard is the perfect example of Gnarls magic. On first thought The song is about a man with mental problems and the lyrics are just as crazy and paranoid, but apparently the song is about "the thought that people have to believe you're crazy to think you're an artist". The title track is slower and much more soulish. I suppose it's more of an intro to the album concept, the lyrics simply deal with a man leaving for "St Elsewhere" but for once it's lyrics aren't crazy. "Gone Daddy Gone" is a repetitive feel good dance song with funky beats. "Smily Face" is funny with sarcastic lyrics, and a somehwt rocky sound. "The Boogie Monster" is a crazy midtempo about paranoia, lyrics like "I used to wonder why he looked, familiar, Then I realised it was a mirror" proves why. On "Feng Shui" we'll find Cee-lo rapping again, but this song is only 1:30. The suicidal melancholy semi-ballad "Just a Thought" sounds like a Spaghetti Western by the music, and not too surpring it's one of Danger Mouse's main sources. Schizophrenic "Transformer" sounds like the opener and is full of fast-paced samples, Voice loops and crazy lyrics. "Who Cares" is once again about Schizophrenia, but this song is slower, remind me a little of the new Outkast. "On Line" is another slower song, crazy and strange lyrics. "Necromancer" is what you think it is about, one of the oddest songs I've heard this year. "Storm Coming" is a funky uptempo with agressive singing and fast percussion. Sounds very old-skool. "The Last Time" is another soulish song with funky rhythm, good closer. With 14 songs the album only clocks at 34 minutes, but it's entertaining all the way.
Overall, If You want something diffrent, here you go. "St Elsewhere" is defenitely one of the funkies, most creative and diverse Hip Hop albums of 2006. Producer Danger Mouse and Singer/Rapper Cee-Lo's masterminds put together results in an excellent concept album like this. If you like Gorillaz, try this aswell. You haven't heard anything like it before. Recommended.
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