Adrien Begrand (14 May 2004). "The Streets: A Grand Don't come For Free Popmatters Music Review". Popmatters . Retrieved 10 March 2010. Rough minimalism would be best to describe the music. clanging drums, atari-ish bleeps and samples snatched from records you've not heard of. a bit like what UNKLE was doing at that time, but mike does it more effectively... cleaner.

Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge. Renshaw, David (24 May 2014). "Anatomy of an Album – The Streets: A Grand Don't Come for Free". NME. p.17.A Grand Don’t Come For Free’ emerged two years after their breakthrough debut album and The Streets had already become an international phenomenon. This time around, Mike Skinner constructed an album with an on-going narrative that was by turns hilarious, touching and energising. ‘Dry Your Eyes’ became The Streets’ first #1 single, while ‘Fit But You Know It’ and ‘Blinded By The Lights’ both hit the Top 10. Christgau, Robert (6 July 2004). "Consumer Guide: Squirt You". The Village Voice . Retrieved 15 September 2015. British album certifications – Streets – A Grand Don't Come for Free". British Phonographic Industry. Suspects his mate Scott of stealing his coat, money, and girlfriend but discovers that Simone is actually having an affair with Dan. ("What is He Thinking?")

The first single from the album, " Fit But You Know It" reached number four on the UK Singles Charts with the second single, " Dry Your Eyes" entering the UK Charts at number one. The album itself reached number one in the UK Album Charts, number eleven in Australia and number eighty-two in the United States.

Release

Poses to impress a girl in a take away restaurant during a heavy night drinking on holiday. (" Fit But You Know It") But comparisons with drama aren’t too far off the mark. ‘Get Out Of My House’ is as much an audio drama as it is a song. A thrilling argument between girlfriend and boyfriend, Skinner reveals with a dramatist’s cunning that Mike’s contentious stash of pills isn’t ecstasy but medication for his epilepsy. Plagenhoef, Scott (17 May 2004). "The Streets: A Grand Don't Come for Free". Pitchfork . Retrieved 4 February 2014. Lynskey, Dorian (May 2004). "The Streets: A Grand Don't Come for Free". Blender (26): 130. Archived from the original on 4 May 2006 . Retrieved 23 September 2016. Snodgrass, James (1 May 2004). "The Streets: A Grand Don't Come For Free". NME. p.47. Archived from the original on 4 June 2004 . Retrieved 15 September 2015.

as much as i adore this album, time hasn't been fair, not because of lyrics referring to nokia's or the nonsense that was often offensively referred to as the 'chav lifestyle' but because it was released in 2004, a time when loudness was a desired thing in the latest records. ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2004". Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 17 July 2020.Is stood up at a nightclub by Simone, but passes the time drinking alcohol and taking ecstasy. He thinks he sees Simone kissing Dan but the drug-induced high distracts him before he can think about it properly. ("Blinded By the Lights") Critical response for the album, like for his previous album, was near universally positive. It currently scores 91/100 on Metacritic, [5] slightly higher than his previous album, which scored 90/100. [16] Dimery, Robert (2009). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Octopus Publishing Group, London. p.920. ISBN 9781844036240 . Retrieved 23 September 2012.