Dead in the Boot

Dead in the Boot is a B-sides compilation album by English rock band Elbow, released in the UK on 27 August 2012. The title is a reference to the band's debut album Asleep in the Back and was suggested by singer Guy Garvey's sister Beckie.[1]

Dead in the Boot
Compilation album by Elbow
Released	27 August 2012
Recorded	1997—2012
Genre	Alternative rock, indie rock
Length	51:33
Label	Fiction, Polydor
Producer	Ben Hillier, Craig Potter, Elbow
Elbow chronology
Build a Rocket Boys! (2011) Dead in the Boot (2012) The Take Off and Landing of Everything (2014)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
BBC Music	favourable[3]
The Daily Telegraph	[4]
The Independent	[5]
Mojo	[6]
NME	7/10[7]
Slant Magazine	[8]

The reviews for the album were mostly positive, with many reviewers commenting on the overall downbeat nature of the songs. NME noted that "there is a strain of nocturnal lethargy that seems to run through Elbow's flipsides... it's odd that its somnolent air actually renders it slightly one-note... But there's nothing wrong with a gentle head massage after a hard night."[7] The Daily Telegraph described the tracks as "mostly steady, lo-fi grooves, propelled by blue-collar bluesy riffs, detached electronic bleeps and mournful pianos", and stated that "in the best possible sense, these songs are come-downs, reflective descents from the band's often soaring, more melody-driven A-sides. They may have been left in the band's boot for a while, but there's nothing dead about them."[4] Mojo called it "an accomplished compilation" and proclaimed that "Dead in the Boot is less throwaway than its name suggests."[6]

BBC Music said "This is more than just a stopgap between the albums, and while not exactly standing alongside their best in terms of outright quality, shows that even Elbow's 'hidden' past is worthy of deeper exploration."[3] The Independent had some criticisms, saying that the album was "far from exhaustive, with tracks cherry-picked for quality and sequenced non-chronologically. Indeed, if anything, there's a touch too many of the tender piano ostinatos", but overall opining that "most B-sides compilations seem to have been thrown together to fulfil contracts but Dead in the Boot has a form and substance beyond that".[5]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Guy Garvey; all music is composed by Elbow.

No.	Title	Originally from	Length
1.	"Whisper Grass"	"Fallen Angel" CD single, 2003	4:30
2.	"Lucky with Disease"	"Newborn" CD single, 2001	3:44
3.	"Lay Down Your Cross"	"Not a Job" CD single, 2004	4:41
4.	"The Long War Shuffle"	"Leaders of the Free World" CD single, 2005	4:14
5.	"Every Bit the Little Girl"	"One Day Like This" 7" vinyl single, 2008	4:25
6.	"Love Blown Down"	"Fugitive Motel" CD single, 2003	4:30
7.	"None One"	The Newborn EP, 2000	3:44
8.	"Lullaby"	"One Day Like This" CD single, 2008	3:15
9.	"McGreggor"	"Forget Myself" 7" vinyl single, 2005	2:40
10.	"Buffalo Ghosts"	"Open Arms" 10" vinyl single, 2011	3:37
11.	"Waving from Windows"	"Grace Under Pressure"/"Switching Off" CD single, 2004	4:14
12.	"Snowball"	Help!: A Day in the Life album, 2005	5:01
13.	"Gentle As"	"Leaders of the Free World" 7" vinyl single, 2005	2:58
Total length:			51:33

Personnel

Elbow

• Guy Garvey – vocals, slide guitar on "The Long War Shuffle", string, percussion, brass & choral arrangements
• Mark Potter – guitars
• Craig Potter – keys, percussion
• Pete Turner – bass
• Richard Jupp – drums, percussion

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
United Kingdom	27 August 2012	CD, LP, digital download	Polydor
United States	19 November 2012	CD, LP, digital download	Xenon

References

1. Announcement of album's release date and details on Elbow's official website, 17 July 2012 Archived 21 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
2. Monger, James Christopher. Elbow – Dead in the Boot > Review at AllMusic
3. Fyfe, Andy (29 August 2012). "Review: Elbow – Dead in the Boot". BBC Music. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
4. Brown, Helen (24 August 2012). "Review: Elbow – Dead in the Boot". The Daily Telegraph. London, England: Telegraph Media Group Ltd. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
5. Gill, Andy (25 August 2012). "Review: Elbow – Dead in the Boot". The Independent. London, England: Independent Print Ltd. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
6. Prior, Clive (October 2012). "Review: Elbow – Dead in the Boot". Mojo. London, England: Bauer Media Group (227): 100.
7. Cashmore, Pete (24 August 2012). "Review: Elbow – Dead in the Boot". NME. London, England: IPC Media. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
8. Douramacos, Yorgo (27 November 2012). "Review: Elbow – Dead in the Boot". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2014.