Snooks (Progress Report)

That was so freaking scary the first time I heard it. I was listening to it on headphones (as Jimi Goodwin said to) and then the wierd clashy metallic sound came on. I full leaped several feet in the air! The sound difference really shocked me.

the wierd clashy metallic sound is probably one of the most disturbing sounds on record by anyone.

This song sounds so unassuming until that weird clashy mettalic sound starts up (thanks for the wording, pumkinhed.)

I like how it throws things off - you think he's just at a party chilling with friends, but there's got to be something else going on to warrant this chainsaw-like grinding noise. Hmm.

This is about Snooks Eaglin, a blues musician. Guy bought some old blues vinyls when he needed some inspiration writing Cast Of Thousands. In an interview he spoke about how the record by Snooks got worse towards the end as the musicians get more and more drunk. These were the days before they had real production and you'd just record it once. This laid back recording method inspired Elbow relax abit more instead of obsessing over tweaking the little details on their songs and so this is a tribute to him.

I saw an interview with Guy Garvey and he gave the meaning to this song. It's literally a progress report on the band - of everything that happened to them since Asleep in the Back was released. It's very brief and to the point but is simply an "update" on the band.

I like that shock effect...reminds me on Peter Gabriel's noisy comeback... blibdiddlip...consequence...RHAAAA!!! grin

Its great to dance to x

I believe this is a fact: some months before the release of this album, Guy left his notebook - with all of his notes and scribblings in it - on a train. So I guess stuff was started and things had ends, stuff regarding all his friends...the poor chap got deep warm drunk, lost his words.... I reckon he tried thinking, as Snooks Eaglin and his buddies would have done, it's no biggy...get on with it...think about something else. ....look at that mental moon.... ...but it was still there - an absolute beating-yourself-up desperation (hence that brilliant noise) at losing your bl**dy notebook with all the stuff for the new album on it....!!! That's what I think anyway. x