This year celebrates 20 years of The Streets classic debut album ‘Original Pirate Material’. We reached out to community member @ruddyellmate for his take on the album.

I used to remember people saying to me that particular decades could not be broken down. For example, experiencing the 70s and 80s as a teenager or young adult, I’d have someone telling me ‘You had to be there’. I used to think it was rubbish but actually as I myself am getting older, it starts to ring true.

I can’t break down what the late 90s and early 00s were like for it to make sense to you. You had to be there and even then, my take on things? It is just one perspective.

For myself and many others however, the years 97–01 were dominated by one sound, UK Garage. I think at one point, I literally didn’t know anyone who didn’t have a mate with decks or a mate that emceed.

Musically, we’d not long come out of Brit Pop dominance, pop stars were as big as ever and in the late 90s early 00s this was really emphasised by the successes of bands like S Club and later TV shows like Pop Idol. In the midst of that, Garage was a dominant force in music both underground and in the mainstream. That however whilst relevant to the album we are looking at, is a whole story in itself and if you’re interested, I’d advise you to do some digging.

I think as you step into adulthood though the world seems a little darker, not to say it is, it just seems so. You become aware, music seemed to be reflecting this change, it felt different, raves felt different and everything and the everyone seemed a little bit more aggro. By the end of 2001, I’m 17, 9/11 happens and the whole world seems on edge.

Now you’ll read all of the above and think what the hell is this guy on about?

Well, I’ll explain… going back to the very beginning – if you asked me to summarise the early 00s in Britain it’s tough to do so. But if I had to choose music albums which in my view reflected Britain in the early 00s, there are a few that immediately spring to mind. ‘Run Come Save Me’ would be a shout, ‘They Don’t Know’ of course but really for me there are two; 2003’s Dizzee Rascal ‘Boy In Da Corner’ and an album that came before it, 2002’s The Streets ‘Original Pirate Material’.

As we mark 20 years of Mike Skinners debut, it is without a doubt one of my generations most important and influential homegrown albums and captured both the end of an era and the dawn of a new one perfectly.

Yet, I didn’t always feel this way. I didn’t know how to feel about this album when I first heard it, it was familiar but so different. Skinner’s delivery was unique, there was a fuse of genres I loved being pushed and pulled in new directions but mate that vocal delivery… what?

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with H G Wells’s ‘The War of the Worlds’ but anyway, in 1978 Jeff Wayne produced a musical version, it’s on Spotify.

On it a track called Dead London Part 1, pretty explanatory title but on it at about 5 and a half minutes in, during the narrative, strings kick in and for me that’s how best to describe how Original Pirate Material begins. It opens with a typical garage drum loop, then the strings, dramatic, epic even but not unheard of, but then Skinner begins the narrative and it’s theatre. ‘Garage burned down the fire raged for 40 days and in 40 ways but through the blaze they see it fade…’ Hence the comparison.

That’s how you best describe the album, it’s like listening to a play and what’s more as the album progresses at some point in it, everyone can relate. This isn’t a typical album breakdown; I don’t see the point. It’s been broken down numerous times, I don’t need to convince you to go and buy

That’s the other thing that happened, music is free. So, on that note I will tell you, you must hear it. It’s a brilliant album, story, play whatever.

The early 00s were great for British music, as I say the breakthroughs of some of the most important British Artists, Dizzee, Amy Winehouse and Skinner of course. Don’t underestimate the importance of any of those artists. Skinner continued to push things forward and arguably his 2nd album was the real masterpiece, but music is subjective. Explaining particular years and its impact is challenging no matter when it was because it depends. How old were you, what were your circles…?

But I will say it again, Mike Skinner's first album is as close to a ‘universal overview’ as you’re going to get.

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