Connected (Stereo MC's album)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Calgary Herald	B+[2]
Chicago Tribune	[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[5]
Select	5/5[6]
The Village Voice	B−[7]

In a contemporary review, James Muretich from Calgary Herald said that "the hour-long program does wear a wee thin but, hey, while the groove-mood lasts, it`s a blast".^[2] Music critic Robert Christgau for The Village Voice, wrote that, although its music is amiable and rhythmic, Connected is also "so multifaceted that its functionality is fungible and forgettable."^[7] In June 2000, Q placed Connected as #52 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.^{[citation needed]} The album won Best British Album at the 1994 Brit Awards,^[8] was shortlisted for the 1993 Mercury Prize,^[9] and included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[10]

All songs written by Robert Birch (Rob B)/Nicholas Hallam (The Head), except where noted

1. "Connected" (Birch/Hallam/H.W. Casey/Richard Finch) – 5:14
   • Contains a sample from "Let Me (Let Me Be Your Lover)" by Jimmy "Bo" Horne.
2. "Ground Level" – 4:13
3. "Everything" (Birch/Hallam/James L. Worthy) – 3:47
4. "Sketch" (Birch/Hallam/Tuzé DeAbreu) – 5:44
   • Contains a sample of "Passarinho" by Gal Costa.
5. "Fade Away" – 4:25
6. "All Night Long" – 4:07
7. "Step It Up" – 4:59
8. "Playing With Fire" – 4:20
   • Uses the piano progression from the introduction to Monkey Man on Let it Bleed by the Rolling Stones
   • Contains a sample of "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" by Pet Shop Boys.
9. "Pressure" – 3:50
10. "Chicken Shake" – 3:50
11. "Creation" – 5:03
12. "Don't Let Up" (feat. Mica Paris)^[11] – 3:09
13. "The End" (Birch/Hallum/Carole King/Toni Stern) – 3:47

Stereo MCs

• Robert Charles "Rob B." Birch – vocals
• Nick "The Head" Hallam – DJ
• Ian Frederick "Owen If" Rossiter – drums, percussion
• Cath Coffey – backing vocals

Additional personnel

• James Hallawell – keyboards, organ
• Paul O. Kane, Matthew Seligman – bass guitar
• Chicu Modu – saxophone
• Ivan Hussey, Johnny T., Anya Ulman, Laura Cochrane – strings
• Kick Horns – brass

• "Connected" (#18 in the United Kingdom, 14 September 1992)
• "Step It Up" (#12 in the United Kingdom, 23 November 1992)
• "Ground Level" (#19 in the United Kingdom, 8 February 1993)
• "Creation" (#19 in United Kingdom, 17 May 1993)