Asleep in the Back is the debut album by British rock band Elbow

Elbow (band)

Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...

, first released in May 2001. The title track, "Asleep in the Back", was only included as a bonus track on later editions of the album after it had been released as a single and became the band's first Top 20 hit. The album release came in four different versions: the 12-track version, two 11-track versions only featuring either "Asleep in the Back" (later editions) or "Can't Stop" (UK version) and a 10-track version including neither of them. The record was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize

Mercury Prize

The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...

 in 2001.

Though Asleep in the Back was the first Elbow album to be released, it was not the first to be recorded. An album's worth of recorded material had been scrapped by the band several years earlier after they were dropped by their first major label, Island Records

Island Records

Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...

.

A 2CD/1DVD deluxe edition of the album was released in the UK on November 2, 2009. The release included almost all tracks of the near impossible to find The Noisebox EP

The Noisebox EP

The Noisebox EP is Elbow's very first release and EP, limited to 150 copies. At the time, the band was still unsigned with any record label...

: a live version of "George Lassoes the Moon" was included instead of the studio version.

Track listing

Japanese Bonus Track:
Double 12" vinyl album

2009 Deluxe Edition

Disc one: Same as 12-track version.

Disc two (bonus disc)
Disc three (DVD)

Release history

Country	Date	Label	Format	Catalogue #
United Kingdom	May 7, 2001	V2 V2 Records V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....	CD (10 tracks)	VVR1015888
			CD (11 tracks)	VVR1015882
			Double 12" vinyl (one bonus track)	VVR1015881
	February 11, 2002		CD (12 tracks)	VVR1019012
United States	January 22, 2002			63881-27116-2
Japan	May 2, 2001	V2 Japan	CD (one bonus track)	V2CI99
United Kingdom	November 2, 2009	Polydor	2CD/1DVD Deluxe Edition	5321322

Singles

In the UK, there were four singles released from the album:

• "Red"
  Red (Elbow song)
  "Red" is the first single by English alternative rock band Elbow and the first single off of their first album, Asleep in the Back. It was released on 23 April 2001 in two formats: 7" vinyl and 2CDs. The 7" vinyl version had the LP colored red for the single and had a slightly longer version of...
  
   (April 23, 2001)
• "Powder Blue" (July 9, 2001)
• "Newborn"
  Newborn (Elbow song)
  "Newborn" is the 3rd single by English alternative rock band Elbow and is the 3rd single from their debut album, Asleep in the Back. There were 4 formats : one Cd promo, one 12" Vinyl remix promo, 2CD, and 12" Vinyl...
  
   (October 8, 2001)
• "Asleep in the Back"/"Coming Second"
  Asleep in the Back / Coming Second
  "Asleep in the Back / Coming Second" is Elbow's fourth and last double A-side single off the album Asleep in the Back, released through their second record label V2 Records in five formats: two CD singles, one DVD, one 12" vinyl promo, and one 12" remix vinyl for "Coming Second"...
  
   (February 4, 2002)

Also, three EPs preceded the album's release, all of which included versions of songs that later appeared on Asleep in the Back:

• The Noisebox EP
  The Noisebox EP
  The Noisebox EP is Elbow's very first release and EP, limited to 150 copies. At the time, the band was still unsigned with any record label...
  
  (January 1, 1998)
• The Newborn EP
  The Newborn EP
  The Newborn EP is Elbow's second release. This EP was released through Elbow's first record label Ugly Man Records. Two songs were later included on their first full length album Asleep in the Back....
  
  (August 7, 2000)
• The Any Day Now EP
  The Any Day Now EP
  The Any Day Now EP is Elbow's third release. This EP was released through Elbow's first record label Ugly Man Records, as well as their second record label V2 Records. Both EPs each have a different track listing....
  
  (Ugly Man
  Ugly Man Records
  Ugly Man Records was started as a Manchester-based independent record label, but it is now based in Leeds. The label released debut singles for many Manchester bands, including Elbow, the Man From Delmonte and I Am Kloot. Ugly Man Records was set up in Bootle, Merseyside in 1986 with the release of...
  
   release with 4 tracks) (January 23, 2001)
  • V2
    V2 Records
    V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
    
     also released this EP with 5 tracks (February 26, 2001)

Elbow

• Guy Garvey
  Guy Garvey
  Guy Edward John Patrick Garvey , is the singer/guitarist in the band Elbow, as well as a presenter for BBC 6 Music and A&R manager of Skinny Dog Records...
  
   – Lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, percussion, analogue synth, wine glasses, harmonica, wybercron
• Mark Potter – Electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
• Craig Potter – Piano, organ, backing vocals, analogue synth, percussion, wine glasses, keyboards
• Pete Turner – Bass guitar, analogue synth, backing vocals, wine glasses
• Richard Jupp – Drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• The Elbow Choir – Vocals (9,10)
• Danny Evans – Percussion Loops (1)
• Ben Hillier – Percussion (2), Backing Vocals (10)
• Ian Burdge – Cello (2), Musical Director (6)
• Francoise Lemoignan – Saxophone (4)
• Bob Sastri – Brass (5), French Horn (6)
• Nick Coen – Brass (5)
• Martin Field – Bassoon (6)
• Stuart King – Clarinet (6), Bass Clarinet (6)
• Matthew Gunner – French Horn (6)
• Jonathan Snowden – Flute (6), Alto Flute (6)
• Dominic Kelly – Cor Anglais (6)

Credits

• Production
  • Elbow and Danny Evans (1)
  • Elbow (4,9,12)
  • Ben Hillier
    Ben Hillier
    Ben Hillier is a British songwriter and pop-rock music producer who is part of the creative team 140dB. He has produced such popular and critically acclaimed albums as Playing the Angel and Sounds of the Universe by Depeche Mode, Think Tank by Blur, Some Cities by Doves and Cast of Thousands by...
    
     and Elbow (2,3,5,6,9,10)
  • Steve Osborne
    Steve Osborne
    Steve Osborne is a multi-platinum selling British record producer. He has worked with a wide variety of musicians, such as New Order, Doves, U2 and KT Tunstall. During the 1990s, Osborne was half of the Perfecto Records team, a production and remix collaboration with Paul Oakenfold; the artists...
    
    (7,11)
• Woodwind Arrangement on Track 6 - Ian Burdge and Elbow
• Recording
  • Danny Evans (1)
  • Ben Hillier (2,3,4,5,6,9,10,12)
  • Andrea Wright (2,3,4,5,6,9,10,12)
  • Elbow (3,8,9,12)
  • Steve Lloyd (4)
  • Ed Chadwick (6)
  • Danton Supple (7,11)
• Mixing
  • Danny Evans (1,8)
  • Ben Hillier (2,4,5,6,7,9,10,12)
  • Andrea Wright (2,4,5,6,7,9,10,12)
  • Ed Chadwick (6)
  • Steve Osborne (11)
  • Clare Lewis (11)
  • Bruno Ellington (11)