''The Great Eastern'' is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Scottish

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

The Delgados The Delgados are a Scottish indie rock band formed in Glasgow in 1994. The band is composed of Alun Woodward (vocals, guitar), Emma Pollock (vocals, guitar), Stewart Henderson (bass guitar), and Paul Savage (drums). Biography The band was for ...

. It was released on 17 April 2000 in the United Kingdom on their own

Chemikal Underground Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 at Glasgow, Scotland by rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in ...

record label, and later on 9 May 2000 in the United States. ''The Great Eastern'' was their first album not to be named after a

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

theme – the title refers to a textile mill in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, latterly a hostel for the homeless.

Reception

At the end of 2000, ''The Great Eastern'' was included in several publications' lists of the year's best albums, including being named fifth best by ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...

'' and 28th best by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''. The album was nominated for the 2000

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...

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

Track listing

Personnel

Credits for ''The Great Eastern'' adapted from album liner notes. The Delgados * Stewart Henderson – bass guitar, accordion, autoharp, guitar, handclaps, piano, Rhodes piano, sleigh bells, vocals *

Emma Pollock Emma Pollock (born 20 December 1972) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, musician, and a founding member of the bands the Delgados and the Burns Unit. She is also one of the founders of The Fruit Tree Foundation project and a regular contributor t ...

– guitar, vocals, handclaps, vibraphone * Paul Savage – drums, dulcimer, guitar, Hammond organ, handclaps, keyboards, Korg synthesizer, piano, Rhodes piano, sampler, tubular bells *

Alun Woodward Alun Woodward (born 11 December 1971), also known by the stage name Lord Cut-Glass, is a musician from Coatbridge, Scotland, and a founding member of influential Glasgow-based band The Delgados. The name Lord Cut-Glass comes from a character in ...

– 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 Barry Burns is a Scottish musician best known for his work with post-rock band Mogwai. Early life Burns went to Cardinal Newman High School in Bellshill before enrolling with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, taking ...

– 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 David Lawrence Fridmann is an American record producer and musician. Career From 1990 onwards he co-produced most releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips. Other bands he has worked with include Weezer, Saxon Shore, Neon Indian, Wolf Gang, ...

– 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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Eastern, The The Delgados albums 2000 albums Chemikal Underground albums Albums produced by Dave Fridmann Albums recorded at Tarbox Road Studios