The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living
Encyclopedia
The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living is the third album by The Streets
, released April 10, 2006 in the United Kingdom
and April 25, 2006 in North America
. It is also the shortest The Streets album released so far, with a running time of just 37 minutes and 12 seconds. The Mitchell Brothers
and Ted Mayhem
, two of Skinner's proteges, make guest appearances on the album.
. However, this score is lower than his previous two albums, scoring 90/100 and 91/100 respectively. In a mixed review, Prefix Magazine said "With about half the tracks on this record falling short, Skinner would seem to be teetering on the edge of irrelevance. But even the failed tracks here sound interesting, and if he's lost his way somewhat thematically, it's all in the name of searching for his new voice." In a much more positive review, The Village Voice
Consumer Guide said "His comic timing and mixture of slangs--not to mention his musical conception... are all so much more fully developed that he's actually made a record that's fun to play in the background." Spin
named Skinner "the perfect poet for this snooze of a topic." In a negative review, Stylus Magazine
described the album as "an exercise in empty nothingness. But it’s not Bacchanalian coked-out excess nothingness, it's the joyless hollow-eyed actions of a man who is waiting for the next fix and doesn't care what bullshit has to come out of his lips in order to get paid."
The Streets
The Streets were a British rap/garage project from Birmingham, United Kingdom, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included a myriad of other contributors most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and the Italian-American beatmaker Leroy.The...
, released April 10, 2006 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and April 25, 2006 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It is also the shortest The Streets album released so far, with a running time of just 37 minutes and 12 seconds. The Mitchell Brothers
The Mitchell Brothers
The Mitchell Brothers are a Ghanaian British rap duo from London, England. They consist of cousins Owura Nyanin from Manor Park and Kofi Hanson from Stockwell...
and Ted Mayhem
Ted Mayhem
Ted Mayhem is a hip hop vocalist and record label boss from London, England. He is the main voice of Beat Stevie.Mayhem was Mike Skinner's partner in his record label The Beats and also his television show Beat Stevie which he co-presents with Skinner on Channel 4...
, two of Skinner's proteges, make guest appearances on the album.
Track listing
- "Prangin' OutPrangin' Out"Prangin' Out" is the third Single from The Streets No.1 album The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living. A remix of the track featured a contribution from Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty...
" – 3:49 - "War of the Sexes" – 3:26
- "The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living" – 3:13
- "All Goes Out the Window" – 3:32
- "Memento Mori" – 2:36
- "Can't Con an Honest John" – 3:40
- "When You Wasn't FamousWhen You Wasn't Famous"When You Wasn't Famous" was the first single from The Streets' third studio album The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living. Released on March 30, 2006, it went straight to number 8 in the UK and number 26 in Ireland...
" – 3:18 - "Never Went to Church" – 3:32
- Contains a sample from The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' song "Let It Be"
- Contains a sample from The Beatles
- "Hotel Expressionism" – 3:33
- "Two Nations" – 3:05
- "Fake Streets HatsFake Streets Hats"Fake Streets Hats" is the 11th and final track of The Streets' third studio album, The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living. The song is about an incident that happened during the 2004 edition of the Dutch Lowlands Music Festival, where a drunk Mike Skinner openly protested against the handing out...
" – 3:12
Critical reception
Critical response for the album was generally positive, scoring 72/100 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. However, this score is lower than his previous two albums, scoring 90/100 and 91/100 respectively. In a mixed review, Prefix Magazine said "With about half the tracks on this record falling short, Skinner would seem to be teetering on the edge of irrelevance. But even the failed tracks here sound interesting, and if he's lost his way somewhat thematically, it's all in the name of searching for his new voice." In a much more positive review, The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
Consumer Guide said "His comic timing and mixture of slangs--not to mention his musical conception... are all so much more fully developed that he's actually made a record that's fun to play in the background." Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
named Skinner "the perfect poet for this snooze of a topic." In a negative review, Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
described the album as "an exercise in empty nothingness. But it’s not Bacchanalian coked-out excess nothingness, it's the joyless hollow-eyed actions of a man who is waiting for the next fix and doesn't care what bullshit has to come out of his lips in order to get paid."