Fragments of Freedom

Fragments of Freedom
Studio album by
Morcheeba
Released7 August 2000
Genre
Length44:26
Label
Producer
  • Paul Godfrey
  • Ross Godfrey
  • Pete Norris
Morcheeba chronology
Big Calm
(1998) 		Fragments of Freedom
(2000) 		Charango
(2002)
Singles from Fragments of Freedom
  1. "Rome Wasn't Built in a Day"
    Released: 5 July 2000
  2. "Be Yourself"
    Released: 2000
  3. "World Looking In"
    Released: 2001

Fragments of Freedom is the third studio album by English electronic music group Morcheeba, which was released in 2000. It was one of their most successful albums in terms of chart sales. Special versions of the CD contained a short CD-ROM video of the 'Making of Fragments of Freedom' and also music videos.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
NME7/10[2]
Pitchfork5.1/10[3]
Rolling Stone[4]
Spin4/10[5]
The Village Voice(dud)[6]

NME declared Fragments to be "an enduring monument to quiet goodness",[2] while The A.V. Club considered it to have "fine and adventurous" songs that "are more than worthy of the band's legacy", but noted that the wide variety of styles between individual tracks means that it "never quite builds up artistic momentum."[7]

Pitchfork, however, criticised the album's contents as "no less flat, smooth, or mass-produced than its jewel case", stating that there was "skill and craft" but no "personality or creativity", and that the backup singers make it more difficult to enjoy Skye Edwards' voice;[8] similarly, Robert Christgau rated the album a "dud".[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Paul Godfrey, Ross Godfrey and Skye Edwards, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."World Looking In" 4:06
2."Rome Wasn't Built in a Day" 3:34
3."Love Is Rare" 4:03
4."Let It Go" 4:43
5."A Well Deserved Break" 2:12
6."Love Sweet Love" (featuring Mr. Complex) 3:57
7."In the Hands of the Gods" (featuring Biz Markie) 1:40
8."Shallow End" 3:51
9."Be Yourself" 3:13
10."Coming Down Gently" 4:18
11."Good Girl Down" (featuring Bahamadia)
  • Paul Godfrey
  • Ross Godfrey
  • Skye Edwards
  • Antonia Reed
3:26
12."Fragments of Freedom" 5:06
Total length:44:30
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Frogmarched to Freedom"5:01
Total length:49:33
Best Buy edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."In the Hands of the Gods" (Tumbleweed Gunslinger Mix) 4:15
2."Frogmarched to Freedom" 4:56
3."Crystal Blue Persuasion" (Cheeba Blue Persuasion Mix)
  • Tommy James
  • Mike Val
  • Ed Gray
3:35
Total length:12:45

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27] Gold 35,000^
France (SNEP)[28] Gold 100,000*
Italy (FIMI)[29] Gold 50,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[30] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[31] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Gold 100,000^
United States — 150,000[33]
Summaries
Worldwide — 1,000,000[34]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Phares, Heather. "Fragments of Freedom - Morcheeba". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b Morcheeba: Fragments of Freedom, reviewed at NME; published 12 September 2005; retrieved 24 March 2017
  3. ^ Shipley, Al (30 September 2000). "Morcheeba: Fragments of Freedom Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  4. ^ Moon, Tom (27 January 2003). "Morcheeba, Fragments Of Freedom". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 27 January 2003. Retrieved 23 November 2017.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ LLC, SPIN Media (2000). "SPIN". Spin Media LLC. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  6. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (5 December 2000). "Getting Bizzy". The Village Voice.
  7. ^ Morcheeba: Fragments Of Freedom, reviewed by Joshua Klein, at the A.V. Club, published 1 August 2000; retrieved 24 March 2017
  8. ^ Morcheeba: Fragments of Freedom, reviewed at Pitchfork, by Al Shipley; published 30 September 2000; retrieved 24 March 2017
  9. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Morcheeba – Fragments Of Freedom". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Morcheeba – Fragments Of Freedom" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Ultratop.be – Morcheeba – Fragments Of Freedom" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – Morcheeba – Fragments Of Freedom" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Lescharts.com – Morcheeba – Fragments Of Freedom". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Morcheeba – Fragments Of Freedom" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2000. 31. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  16. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Morcheeba". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Morcheeba – Fragments Of Freedom". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Charts.nz – Morcheeba – Fragments Of Freedom". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  19. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Morcheeba – Fragments Of Freedom". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  21. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Morcheeba – Fragments Of Freedom". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Morcheeba – Fragments Of Freedom". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  23. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  24. ^ "Morcheeba, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  25. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2000". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  26. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2000". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  28. ^ "French album certifications – Morcheeba – Fragments of Freedom" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  29. ^ "Morcheeba's 'pop slutiness'" (PDF). Music & Media. 2 September 2000. p. 21. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  30. ^ "Spanish album certifications – Morcheeba – Fragments Of Freedom". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  31. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Charango')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  32. ^ "British album certifications – Morcheeba – Fragments of Freedom". British Phonographic Industry.
  33. ^ Williams, Paul (20 July 2002). "Warners positions Morcheeba as 'global band'" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 6. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  34. ^ Williams, Paul (13 April 2002). "Fourth Morcheeba album will unite fanbases, says Warner" (PDF). Music Week. p. 6. Retrieved 25 August 2022.