Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere Vinyl LP Gnarls Barkley

Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo’s first Gnarls Barkley album, featuring the inescapable “Crazy,” available again on vinyl for the first time in over a decade! Official 2023 repress on Danger Mouse’s own 30th Century Records. Original Lab review:

It’s rare to see the kind of totally universal, across-the-board buzz for an album that St. Elsewhere has gotten. Hipsters and backpackers, British kids and old-timey magazine editors alike – everyone’s got a hard-on for Gnarls Barkley, and it’s not hard to see why. “Crazy,” for all of Blu Jemz’ hating, is pretty much the single of the year, getting play across the world and spawning approximately 10,000 house remixes. But beyond all that, Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo have crafted a seriously solid and far-ranging album, and it’s hard to see the buzz dying down any time soon. Unlike when he collaborated with MF Doom, Danger Mouse seems to bring out the best in Cee-Lo, moving him a bit further away from Goodie mode and into his weirdo electro Marvin Gaye steez. Indie kids will be pleased as punch to hear their surprisingly straightforward cover of the Violent Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone,” and fans of DM’s work with Gorillaz and Jemini will definitely dig on the spooky “Boogie Monster.” Other standouts include “Feng Shui,” “Just A Thought,” and “The Last Time.”

• black vinyl pressing
• first-ever vinyl reissue
• includes printed insert w/ full album lyrics
• original release year: 2006
• music label: 30th Century Records 2023

reviewed by Chris Lemon-Red 05/2006