The Great Eastern (album)

The Great Eastern is the third studio album by Scottish indie rock band The Delgados. It was released on 17 April 2000 in the United Kingdom on their own Chemikal Underground record label, and later on 9 May 2000 in the United States.

The Great Eastern
Studio album by The Delgados
Released	17 April 2000 (2000-04-17)
Studio	Cava Sound Workshops (Glasgow, Scotland) Chem19 (Glasgow, Scotland) Jaya Pura Tarbox Road Studios (Cassadaga, New York)
Genre	Indie rock
Length	46:10
Label	Chemikal Underground
Producer	Dave Fridmann The Delgados
The Delgados chronology
Peloton (1998) The Great Eastern (2000) Live at the Fruitmarket (2001)
Singles from The Great Eastern
"American Trilogy" Released: 2000 "No Danger" Released: 2000

The Great Eastern was their first album not to be named after a cycling theme – the title refers to a textile mill in Glasgow, latterly a hostel for the homeless.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Alternative Press	4/5[3]
Los Angeles Times	[4]
Melody Maker	[5]
NME	6/10[6]
Pitchfork	5.7/10[7]
Q	[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]

At the end of 2000, The Great Eastern was ranked on several publications' year-end album lists, including being named fifth best by Mojo.[10] The album was nominated for the 2000 Mercury Music Prize.

In 2008, The Great Eastern was ranked at number 49 on Mojo's list of "The 50 Greatest UK Indie Records of All Time".[11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Delgados (Stewart Henderson, Emma Pollock, Paul Savage and Alun Woodward).

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Past That Suits You Best"	6:21
2.	"Accused of Stealing"	5:42
3.	"American Trilogy"	4:46
4.	"Reasons for Silence (Ed's Song)"	3:28
5.	"Thirteen Gliding Principles"	3:44
6.	"No Danger"	6:32
7.	"Aye Today"	4:55
8.	"Witness"	4:04
9.	"Knowing When to Run"	3:26
10.	"Make Your Move"	3:12
Total length:		46:10

Personnel

Credits for The Great Eastern adapted from album liner notes.[12]

The Delgados Stewart Henderson – bass guitar, accordion, autoharp, guitar, handclaps, piano, Rhodes piano, sleigh bells, vocals Emma Pollock – guitar, vocals, handclaps, vibraphone Paul Savage – drums, dulcimer, guitar, Hammond organ, handclaps, keyboards, Korg synthesizer, piano, Rhodes piano, sampler, tubular bells Alun Woodward – guitar, vocals, bowed guitar, dulcimer, e-bow, keyboards, slide guitar, vibraphone The Delgados – writing, brass arrangement, string arrangement, woodwind arrangement Additional musicians Alan Barr – cello, string arrangement Barry Burns – Hammond organ, Korg synthesizer, piano, Rhodes piano Lorne Cowieson – trumpet, flugelhorn, brass arrangement Charlie Cross – viola, violin, string arrangement Graham Flett – double bass Dave Fridmann – cello sampling, weights David Laing – violin Greg Lawson – violin, string arrangement Camille Mason – clarinet, flute, piano, woodwind arrangement Guy Milford – tenor horn Jim Putnam – additional vocals Paul Stone – euphonium, trombone Graeme Wilson – saxophone

Production The Delgados – production, recording Tony Doogan – recording Dave Fridmann – mixing, production James Jarvie – "black magic" Chris Renwick – programming Dougie Summers – programming Artwork and design Tony Doogan – camcorder Adam Piggot – artwork, photography Lindsay Savage – cover photography

Charts

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[13]	31
UK Albums (OCC)[14]	72
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[15]	12

References

1. "The Delgados Press Releases" (Press release). Retrieved 2009-11-05.
2. Anderson, Rick. "The Great Eastern – The Delgados". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
3. "The Delgados: The Great Eastern". Alternative Press (144): 90. July 2000.
4. Weingarten, Marc (7 January 2001). "The Delgados 'The Great Eastern' (Beggars Banquet)". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
5. "The Delgados: The Great Eastern". Melody Maker: 51. 25 April 2000.
6. Empire, Kitty (11 April 2000). "The Delgados – The Great Eastern". NME. Archived from the original on 11 June 2000. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
7. Cooper, Paul (9 May 2000). "The Delgados: The Great Eastern". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
8. "The Delgados: The Great Eastern". Q (164): 107. May 2000.
9. Sheffield, Rob (17 August 2000). "The Delgados: The Great Eastern". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 15 April 2002. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
10. "The Great Eastern". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
11. "The 50 Greatest UK Indie Records Of All Time". Mojo. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
12. The Great Eastern (liner notes). The Delgados. Chemikal Underground. 2000. Chem040CD.CS1 maint: others (link)
13. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
14. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
15. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 July 2018.