Gorillaz: Gorillaz (2LP) [PARLOPHONE]

Why you'll love it

Gorillaz's debut sold millions, made a cartoon band one of the biggest acts on the planet and gave us "Clint Eastwood," one of the most recognizable singles of the 2000s. Del the Funky Homosapien and Dan the Automator are all over it.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Parlophone pressing
• Produced by Dan the Automator with the band

About the album

You'd think a band made up of four cartoon characters would be a one-joke idea. Blur's Damon Albarn and Tank Girl artist Jamie Hewlett clearly thought otherwise, and in March of 2001 their "virtual band" Gorillaz (2-D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel, for the uninitiated) unleashed this debut and promptly ate the charts.

Recorded at Albarn's Studio 13 in London and in Jamaica with producer Dan the Automator, it's a lazy, dubby stew of hip-hop, punk, trip-hop and Latin grooves, with Del the Funky Homosapien rapping all over "Clint Eastwood," Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori turning up on "19-2000" and Buena Vista Social Club's Ibrahim Ferrer crooning on "Latin Simone." It set the template for everything Gorillaz have done since: one restless songwriter, a wildly eclectic guest list and a cast of cartoons doing the talking. Twenty-odd years later the joke's still landing.

Also at Kops: more Gorillaz on vinyl · browse Alternative

Tracklist

Listen

On Parlophone, a reissue of the 2001 album.