Connected (Stereo MCs album)

Connected is a 1992 album by Stereo MCs. The tracks "Connected", "Ground Level", "Step It Up" and "Creation" became hit singles.

Connected
Studio album by
Stereo MCs
Released5 October 1992
GenreAcid jazz, alternative hip hop, trip hop
Length56:10
LabelFourth & Broadway/Island/PolyGram Records
512 743
ProducerStereo MCs, Veronica Davis, Andrea Groves
Stereo MCs chronology
Supernatural
(1990)		 Connected
(1992)		 DJ Kicks
(2000)
Singles from Connected
  1. "Connected"
    Released: 14 September 1992
  2. "Step It Up"
    Released: 23 November 1992
  3. "Ground Level"
    Released: 8 February 1993
  4. "Creation"
    Released: 17 May 1993

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]
Select5/5[4]
The Village VoiceB−[5]

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau said that, although its music is amiable and rhythmic, Connected is also "so multifaceted that its functionality is fungible and forgettable."[5] In June 2000, Q placed Connected as #52 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. The album won Best British Album at the 1994 Brit Awards,[6] was shortlisted for the 1993 Mercury Prize,[7] and included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[8]

Track listing

All songs written by Robert Birch (Rob B)/Nicholas Hallam (The Head), except where noted

  1. "Connected" (Birch/Hallam/H.W. Casey/Richard Finch) – 5:14
  2. "Ground Level" – 4:13
  3. "Everything" (Birch/Hallam/James L. Worthy) – 3:47
  4. "Sketch" (Birch/Hallam/Tuzé DeAbreu)– 5:44
    • Contains a sample of "Passarinho" by Gal Costa.
  5. "Fade Away" – 4:25
  6. "All Night Long" – 4:07
  7. "Step It Up" – 4:59
  8. "Playing With Fire" – 4:20
    • Uses the piano progression from the introduction to Monkey Man on Let it Bleed by the Rolling Stones
    • Contains a sample of "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" by Pet Shop Boys.
  9. "Pressure" – 3:50
  10. "Chicken Shake" – 3:50
  11. "Creation" – 5:03
  12. "Don't Let Up" (feat. Mica Paris)[9] – 3:09
  13. "The End" (Birch/Hallum/Carole King/Toni Stern) – 3:47

Personnel

Stereo MCs
  • Robert Charles "Rob B." Birch: Vocals
  • Nick "The Head" Hallam: DJ
  • Ian Frederick "Owen If" Rossiter: Drums, Percussion
  • Cath Coffey: Backing Vocals

Additional personnel

Singles
  • "Connected" (#18 in the United Kingdom, 14 September 1992)
  • "Step It Up" (#12 in the United Kingdom, 23 November 1992)
  • "Ground Level" (#19 in the United Kingdom, 8 February 1993)
  • "Creation" (#19 in United Kingdom, 17 May 1993)

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[10] Platinum 300,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. "Connected – Stereo MC's". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  2. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  3. Diehl, Matt (2004). "Stereo MC's". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 781. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. Higginbotham, Adam (November 1992). "The Stereo MCs: Connected". Select (29): 85.
  5. Christgau, Robert (23 November 1993). "Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  6. "Best Album by a British Artist". Billboard. 18 February 1995. p. 48. Retrieved 17 April 2019. connected stereo mc brit 1994.
  7. "Mercury Prize 1993". Mercury Prize. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  8. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  9. "Stereo MC's – Connected". Discogs. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  10. "British album certifications – Stereo MCs – Connected". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 January 2019. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Connected in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.


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