Album of the Year (Faith No More album)
Album of the Year is the sixth studio album by American rock band Faith No More, released on June 3, 1997 by Slash and Reprise Records. It is the first album to feature the band's current guitarist Jon Hudson, and was their last studio album before their eleven-year hiatus from 1998 to 2009. The album has been described by Allmusic as being "more straightforward musically than past releases."[1] It spawned three singles: "Ashes to Ashes", "Last Cup of Sorrow", and "Stripsearch".
Album of the Year | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 3, 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1996–1997 | |||
Studio | Brilliant Studios and Razor's Edge Recording, San Francisco, California | |||
Genre | Alternative metal[1] | |||
Length | 43:04 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | ||||
Faith No More chronology | ||||
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Singles from Album of the Year | ||||
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Background
Recording
Album of the Year guitarist Jon Hudson joined the band in 1996, after the departure of Dean Menta. Regarding Menta, Billy Gould said "We didn't fire Dean because he was an asshole, we didn't fire Dean because of anything, it was just because we couldn't write. And he had already written songs but it wasn't working. He toured fine."[2]
In a 1997 interview with SFGate, Gould reflected on the making of the album, saying "Very rarely were we all in the same city at the same time. If we were lucky, there'd be a three-week window, and then we'd practice as much as we could and record at the end of the period."[3] Roddy Bottum similarly recalled "Everybody's schedule was hectic. And so it was a situation of making the record around people's other projects."[4]
When early demo work on Album of the Year was beginning between Mike Bordin, Bottum, Gould and Menta, Mike Patton was still performing with Mr. Bungle, who were in the midst of their Disco Volante run of shows.[3] Bottum stated in a June 1997 interview with Australian paper The Herald Sun that "We decided we'd just write a bunch of songs and keep the songwriting as simple as possible and just go into the studio and record as quickly as possible. That was the way we used to write stuff when we started the band, just really simple repetitive riffs without a whole lot of thought. And Mike came back from his tour with Mr. Bungle, and he only liked about half of the songs, and only felt like he could sing on about half of the songs."[5]
Following this round of demo work and the firing of Menta, the members pursued other projects, leaving the band on the verge of splitting (because of this, Album of the Year has since been labelled as a "miracle baby").[6] Gould said after Menta's firing "the momentum just shut down and everybody went off and started doing their side stuff."[4] Bottum went out on tour to support the debut album of his Imperial Teen side project, Bordin left to tour with Black Sabbath for six months, and Mike Patton flew to Italy to be with his wife Cristina Zuccatosta, who he had married in 1994.[5] Gould himself spent a few months travelling Europe. While in Albania, he came up with the song "Mouth to Mouth", which was inspired by the "loud arabic music" he heard on the streets there.[7] Gould then returned to San Francisco to focus on the album with Hudson, who entered Faith No More during this period of inactivity between the collective group.[5][7][4]
The early writting sessions with Hudson yielded 12 songs, including "Ashes to Ashes" and "Paths of Glory". Gould sent a tape of "Ashes to Ashes" to Patton in Italy, so he could add lyrics to it.[4] 8 of these new songs written with Hudson were not included on the final album, due to being too "poppy".[4]
During early 1997, all five members reconvened in San Francisco with producer Roli Mosimann. Bottum reflects "We did the record in parts, more than as a whole. Then at the end of the process, or near the end, we got together."[8] Patton had written new songs while away in Italy with his wife, such as "Home Sick Home".[5]
Mosimann encouraged the band to utilize computer-based recording/editing software Pro Tools during the recording, something they had previously never done before. Gould stated "he said there were some things that he'd like to change in Pro Tools. A good example of Roli's editing was the song 'Mouth to Mouth.' It wasn't sounding right to us at all. It was almost a throwaway song. But Roli really liked that one, so he ended up taking the [acoustic] drums in the choruses and moving them to the verses in Pro Tools. It gave the song a whole new life."[9]
The album's music displayed a more melancholic sound overall compared to previous releases. Gould said at the time "it just turned out to be that way that the new material is more melodic, slower and more atmospheric. It was important for me that the album has a general mood that can be found in all songs and that it doesn't go in too many directions like we did in the past."[10] Patton commented "It's got more feelings and balance than our previous albums. Possibly it's darker too."[7]
Once recording was completed, the individual members spent time preparing for the upcoming tour in support of the album.[3] The impending Album of the Year tour would end up sidetracking a covers album Mike Patton had planned on doing with Mr. Bungle.[11]
Songs
"Naked in Front of the Computer" is one of the few songs in the Faith No More catalogue written solely by Mike Patton. When asked about the song's meaning, Billy Gould replied:
Actually, this song is about email. Patton is kind of obsessed with the idea of how people can communicate and have relationships over the computer without talking or ever meeting. So this is an extreme version of that concept. Funny thing is...the image of someone sitting naked in front of a computer might not have made sense to people a few years ago, but now everybody knows what it means. It's become part of our culture.
— Billy Gould, [4]
"She Loves Me Not" is the eighth song on the album. The song itself seems to draw its influence from lounge music. It was to be the fourth single off the album, but the band ended before this could be accomplished. It has also never been played live. Despite this, it made an appearance on Faith No More's 2006 greatest hits compilation The Platinum Collection. When asked about the song, Billy Gould replied:
This song almost didn't make it on the record. We almost didn't even record vocals for it because it's so different from all of the other songs. I wrote this song, and I was almost embarrassed to play it for anybody in the band because it's so soft – but at the same time it's a good song. It's like a Boyz II Men song or something. I didn't play it for anybody for, like, a half a year, and then finally I played it for Puffy. He thought we should give it a try, so I gave it to Patton, and he said, 'I wrote words, but they're pretty over-the-top.' But we went forward with it, and he really sang his ass off.
— Billy Gould, [4]
"The Big Kahuna" and "Light Up & Let Go" were originally intended to appear on the album,[12] although they ended up appearing as b-sides and as bonus tracks for the Japanese edition. According to Mike Patton, "The Big Kahuna" was cut from the final track listing since it didn't fit in with the rest of the album.[13] He also claimed the song's title was not a reference to the Big Kahuna restaurant from Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction.[13]
The band recorded approximately two dozen songs during the Album of the Year sessions.[14] However, no previously unreleased material from the sessions has ever surfaced. Patton said "we did about 7 or 8 songs that won't appear on the album. I don't know if they will ever appear somewhere. It's like cookin' coffee...you have to throw it away when it's kinda bitter. The main problem all of the time was: are the songs good enough for the album or should we write some more. it's difficult to find the right balance. First we had too many commercial songs, then there were too many heavy songs."[15]
Artwork and title
The photograph on the front cover depicts Czechoslovakia's first president, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, who is also regarded as the country's founding father.
The album jacket depicts the funeral of Masaryk, with the words "pravda vítězí" (truth prevails), the motto of the Czech Republic, adorning his coffin.
The artwork was reflected with the band frequently wearing suits during their tour in support of the album, a trend that carried over to their 2009 reunion tour.
While the album sleeve did not feature printed lyrics, Mike Patton and Billy Gould did submit official lyrics to fnm.com,[16] which was a fan controlled site prior to the band's reformation in 2009.[17]
Regarding the title Album of the Year, Bottum said in a June 14, 1997 interview with MTV Europe that "It just seemed right. We've been away for a while. Coming back with a bang or a scream seemed to be effective to us, and a little bit funny."[18] In the same interview, Patton elaborated "I think if you can't see the humor in that, then you've got a problem."[18]
Touring
As with previous albums, it was supported by a large scale tour that covered various countries, lasting from April 22, 1997, to April 7, 1998.[19] When the album was released in mid-1997, Mike Bordin was called in to perform with Ozzy Osbourne for that year's edition of Ozzfest, which ran from May 24 to July 1.[20] This resulted in Robin Guy (of the band Rachel Stamp) filling in on drums for Bordin during a UK Top of the Pops performance on May 30, as well as an absence of any Faith No More shows during the month of June. Shortly after he returned from Ozzfest, the band had to cancel four July dates in Europe, so Bordin could attend the birth of his first daughter in San Francisco.[21]
The Album of the Year tour is notable for featuring Limp Bizkit, a nu metal/rap metal band greatly influenced by Faith No More, as an opener for several 1997 US dates. They were frequently booed by Faith No More's fans, including during a September 1997 concert at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, where the crowd booed them off stage.[22] In a 2013 interview, Roddy Bottum reflected on the shows with Limp Bizkit, recalling "I fought it at the time. I had to really push to get a couple bands that I liked to get on the bill in Portland and Seattle on that leg. I had no interest in the sound of Limp Bizkit. It was not how I wanted to be represented at all. Not to be snotty at all, but that guy Fred Durst had a really bad attitude. He was kind of a jerk."[23] Bottum also remembered an incident where Durst "called the audience faggots at one show when they booed him."[23] Durst apologized to him after this show, as he did not know that Bottum had come out as gay in the early 90s.[24] Limp Bizkit's guitarist Wes Borland later claimed that his band were excited about the prospect of getting to tour with Faith No More, stating "the idea of it was cool [but] once we got there, it was a really tough crowd. They have a really tough crowd to please, who are very vocal about not liking you. We opened for Faith No More and Primus in the same year, and the Primus tour went a lot better than the Faith No More tour."[25] Borland added that he did not get to know Mike Patton personally until several years later.[25]
During the Album of the Year tour, they would cover the Aqua song "Barbie Girl",[26] "Highway Star" by Deep Purple, Will Smith's "Men in Black", Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You" and the R. Kelly songs "I Believe I Can Fly" and "Gotham City". An intro tape was used at the beginning of shows, which contained "Also sprach Zarathustra", followed by an Elvis-style fanfare clip announcing Faith No More as being from Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.[19] The band's setlists for the tour mainly consisted of their 1990s material, with songs from Introduce Yourself and The Real Thing being played less frequently than before.[19] However, the track "As the Worm Turns" (from 1985's We Care a Lot) began to appear more often this tour, having been mostly absent throughout the 1995 King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime tour.
On the European legs, Faith No More performed in Croatia and Luxembourg, two countries they had never previously visited.[27]
Concert dates
Early European shows
Date | City | Country | Venue | Other Performers |
---|---|---|---|---|
April 22, 1997 (First show since September 1995, and first show with Jon Hudson) | London | England | Hippodrome | |
April 28, 1997 | Stockholm | Sweden | Electric Garden | |
April 30, 1997 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Paradiso | |
May 3, 1997 | Paris | France | Élysée Montmartre | Treponem Pal |
May 4, 1997 | Colgone | Germany | Bürgerhaus Stollwerck | |
May 5, 1997 | Berlin | Germany | SO 36 | |
May 6, 1997 | Hamburg | Germany | Markthalle | Bad Sin |
May 8, 1997 | Paris | France | Nulle Part Ailleurs | |
May 12, 1997 | Glasgow | Scotland | Arches | |
May 13, 1997 | Nottingham | England | Rock City | |
May 13, 1997 | London | England | Astoria | A |
May 16, 1997 | London | England | TFI Friday | |
May 30, 1997 (With Robin Guy of Rachel Stamp on drums) | London | England | BBC Top of the Pops | Spice Girls |
Album of the Year is released around the world in June 1997 |
July '97 Florida shows
Date | City | Country | Venue | Other Performers |
---|---|---|---|---|
July 4, 1997 | Tampa | United States | Pinellas County Fairgrounds | Our Lady Peace, Mighty Joe Plum, Sugartooth, Cool for August, Creed, Naked |
July 5, 1997 | Sunrise | United States | Markham Park | Better Than Ezra, The Nixons, Orbit, Muse |
First European leg
Date | City | Country | Venue | Other Performers |
---|---|---|---|---|
(Cancelled due to the birth of Mike Bordin's daughter) | ||||
(Cancelled due to the birth of Mike Bordin's daughter) | ||||
(Cancelled due to the birth of Mike Bordin's daughter) | ||||
(Cancelled due to the birth of Mike Bordin's daughter) | ||||
July 15, 1997 | Katowice | Poland | Spodek Sporthall | Flapjack |
July 17, 1997 | Prague | Czech Republic | Sky Club Brumlovka | Satisfucktion |
July 19, 1997 | Zeebrugge | Belgium | Beack Rock Festival | Simple Minds, Wet Wet Wet, Neneh Cherry, Mark Owen, Shaggy |
July 20, 1997 | Stratford Upon Avon | England | Phoenix Festival | David Bowie, Billy Bragg, Catatonia, Apollo 440 |
July 23, 1997 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Vega | |
July 24, 1997 | Oslo | Norway | Rockefeller | |
July 26, 1997 | Stockholm | Sweden | Lollipop Festival | |
July 28, 1997 | Helsinki | Finland | Kulttuuritalo | |
(Cancelled) | ||||
August 16, 1997 | Cologne | Germany | Bizarre Festival | Silverchair, Fettes Brot, Marilyn Manson, Rollins Band, Bush, Skunk Anansie, Atari Teenage Riot, Catherine, Das Auge Gottes, Deine Lakaien, Descendents, Pist.On, Sans Secours |
August 17, 1997 | Budapest | Hungary | Pepsi-sziget fesztivál | Tankcsapda, New Model Army, Ladánybene 27 |
August 19, 1997 | Haifa | Israel | City Hall | |
August 20, 1997 | Tel-Aviv | Israel | Cinerama | |
August 22, 1997 | Trutnov | Czech Republic | Trutnov Open Air Festival | |
August 22, 1997 | Dronten | Netherlands | Lowlands Festival | Foo Fighters, Life of Agony, Heideroosjes, Rowwen Hèze, Skunk Anansie, Rammstein, Blur, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Pigmeat, Millencolin, Pennywise, I Against I |
August 24, 1997 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg | Den Atelier | |
August 26, 1997 | Utrecht | Netherlands | Tivoli | |
August 27, 1997 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Night Town | |
August 29, 1997 | Strasbour | France | La Laiterie | |
August 30, 1997 | Konstanz | Germany | Rock Am See Festival | |
August 31, 1997 | Bologna | Italy | Arena Parco Nord | Eels |
North American leg
Date | City | Country | Venue | Other Performers |
---|---|---|---|---|
September 5, 1997 | Tinley Park, IL | United States | New World Music Theatre | Veruca Salt, Silverchair, Seven Mary Three, Megadeth, Local H, Limp Bizkit, Helmet, Gravity Kills, Days of the New, Cracker |
September 7, 1997 | Tulsa | United States | Mohawk Park | Helmet, Sugar Ray, Reel Big Fish, Our Lady Peace, Smash Mouth, Caroline's Spine, Outhouse, Artificial Joy Club, Groove Pilots |
September 9, 1997 | St. Louis | United States | Mississippi Nights | Limp Bizkit |
September 10, 1997 | Columbus | United States | Newport Music Hall | Limp Bizkit |
September 11, 1997 | Cincinnati | United States | Bogart's | Limp Bizkit |
September 12, 1997 | Atlanta | United States | Masquerade | Limp Bizkit |
September 13, 1997 | Charlotte | United States | Blockbuster Pavilion | Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Blues Traveler, Primus, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Soul Coughing |
September 14, 1997 | Virginia Beach | United States | Virginia Beach Amphitheatre | Seven Mary Three, The Nixons, Corrosion of Conformity, Jimmie's Chicken Shack |
September 16, 1997 | Washington | United States | 9:30 Club | Limp Bizkit |
September 17, 1997 | Sea Bright, NJ | United States | The Tradewinds | Limp Bizkit |
September 18, 1997 | Providence | United States | Strand Theatre | Limp Bizkit |
September 19, 1997 | New York | United States | Roseland Ballroom | Limp Bizkit |
September 20, 1997 | Philadelphia | United States | Electric Factory | Limp Bizkit |
September 21, 1997 | Worcester | United States | Green Hill Park | Limp Bizkit |
September 22, 1997 (Rumored; not officially confirmed) | Rochester | United States | Waterstreet Music Hall | Limp Bizkit |
September 23, 1997 | Cleveland | United States | Agora Theatre | Limp Bizkit |
September 24, 1997 | Detroit | United States | St. Andrews Hall | Limp Bizkit |
September 25, 1997 | Milwaukee | United States | Modjeska Theatre | Limp Bizkit |
September 26, 1997 | Bonner Springs | United States | Sandstone Amphitheatre | Pantera, Machine Head, Limp Bizkit, Coal Chamber |
September 27, 1997 | Dallas | United States | Deep Ellum Live | Limp Bizkit |
September 28, 1997 | New Orleans | United States | Marconi Meadows | Foo Fighters, Fiona Apple, Better Than Ezra, Candlebox, Cowboy Mouth, Limp Bizkit, Reel Big Fish |
October 1, 1997 | Denver | United States | Odgen Theatre | Limp Bizkit |
October 2, 1997 | Salt Lake City | United States | Brick's | Limp Bizkit |
October 3, 1997 | Las Vegas | United States | Huntridge Theatre | Limp Bizkit |
October 4, 1997 | Pheonix | United States | Celebrity Theater | Limp Bizkit |
October 5, 1997 | Los Angeles | United States | Palace | Limp Bizkit |
October 6, 1997 | San Francisco | United States | The Warfield | lowercase |
October 8, 1997 | Portland | United States | La Luna | lowercase |
October 10, 1997 | Vancouver | Canada | Rage | lowercase |
October 11, 1997 | Seattle | United States | Moore Theatre | |
Australia/New Zealand leg
Date | City | Country | Venue | Other Performers |
---|---|---|---|---|
October 16, 1997 | Wellington | New Zealand | Queens Wharf | |
October 17, 1997 | Auckland | New Zealand | North Shore Events Centre | Go Ask Alice |
October 20, 1997 | Sydney | Australia | Hordern Pavillion | Shihad |
October 21, 1997 | Sydney | Australia | Hordern Pavillion | Shihad |
October 23, 1997 | Newcastle | Australia | Workers Club | |
October 24, 1997 | Brisbane | Australia | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | |
October 26, 1997 | Melbourne | Australia | Festival Hall | Shihad |
October 27, 1997 | Melbourne | Australia | Festival Hall | Shihad |
October 29, 1997 | Adelaide | Australia | Adelaide Entertainment Centre | |
November 1, 1997 | Perth | Australia | Perth Entertainment Centre | Shihad |
Japanese leg
Date | City | Country | Venue | Other Performers |
---|---|---|---|---|
November 5, 1997 | Nagoya | Japan | Club Quattro | |
November 6, 1997 | Osaka | Japan | Sinsaibashi | |
November 7, 1997 | Tokyo | Japan | Shibuya On Air East | |
November 8, 1997 | Tokyo | Japan | Shibuya On Air East | |
Second European leg
Date | City | Country | Venue | Other Performers |
---|---|---|---|---|
November 11, 1997 | Hamburg | Germany | Grosse Freiheit | |
November 12, 1997 | Berlin | Germany | Huxley's Neue Welt | |
November 13, 1997 | Ludwigsburg | Germany | Forum Am Schlosspark | |
November 14, 1997 | Sursee | Germany | Stadthalle | |
November 15, 1997 | Geneva | Switzerland | Vernier sur Rock | |
November 17, 1997 | Munich | Germany | Colosseum | Radish |
November 18, 1997 | Vienna | Austria | Libro Music Hall | |
November 19, 1997 | Ljubljana | Slovenia | Hala Tivoli | Odpisani, Psycho-Path |
November 20, 1997 | Zagreb | Croatia | Dom Sportova | |
November 21, 1997 | Milan | Italy | Palalido | Radish |
November 23, 1997 | Moscow | Russia | Lushniki | Tequilajazzz, Green Gray, Naive |
November 25, 1997 | Offenbach am Main | Germany | Stadthalle Offenbach | Eskimos and Egypt, Radish |
November 26, 1997 | Düsseldorf | Germany | Stahlwerk | |
November 27, 1997 | Hannover | Germany | Music Hall | Eskimos and Egypt, Radish |
November 29, 1997 | London | England | Brixton Academy | Radish |
November 30, 1997 | Cambridge | England | Corn Exchange | |
December 1, 1997 | Wolverhampton | England | Civic Hall | |
December 3, 1997 | Manchester | England | Manchester Academy | Radish |
December 4, 1997 | Nottingham | England | Rock City | Radish |
December 5, 1997 | London | England | TFI Friday | |
December 5, 1997 | Glasgow | Scotland | Barrowlands | |
December 6, 1997 | Innsbruck | Austria | MTV Air & Style Event | |
December 8, 1997 | Lyon | France | Transbordeur | |
December 9, 1997 | Paris | France | Canal + Studios | |
December 9, 1997 | Paris | France | Le Bataclan | Radish |
December 10, 1997 | Lille | France | L'Aéronef | Radish |
Late European shows
Date | City | Country | Venue | Other Performers |
---|---|---|---|---|
April 6, 1998 | Granada | Spain | Festival Esparrago Rock | |
April 7, 1998 | Oporto | Portugal | Coliseu do Porto | |
Faith No More officially announce their breakup on April 20, 1998 | ||||
(Cancelled due to breakup) | ||||
(Cancelled due to breakup) | ||||
(Cancelled due to breakup) | ||||
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Entertainment Weekly | B[28] |
Pitchfork | 2.4/10[29] |
Rolling Stone | |
Spin |
Initially Album of the Year was met with some lukewarm to negative responses from critics in North America, with the Rolling Stone magazine rating the album one-and-a-half stars out of five and commenting that the band "...are floundering around desperately, groping for a sense of identity and direction in a decade that clearly finds them irrelevant".[30] Pitchfork gave the album a similarly negative review, stating "Album Of The Year leaves one feeling like waking up and finding last night's used condom -- sure, the ride was fun while it lasted, but what remains is just plain icky. And you definitely don't want it in your CD player."[29] Canadian publication Fast Forward Weekly awarded it only one out of five stars in their issue for the week of June 12-June 18 1997. The review states "Sure, mixing metal pomp, punk attitude and white boy funk/rap may have seemed like a fresh idea at the time, but things have (thankfully) changed. It just doesn't seem like FNM's tired grind of big riffs and Patton's operatic yowling could have much impact on your average suburban spaz when groups like Rage Against the Machine, although equally annoying (and admittedly the direct progeny of FNM), at least deliver on the pre-teen adrenaline rush. Ultimately, Faith No More was simply one of those transitional bands that happened to be around when rock culture produced one of its generation shifts. Fine. Thank you for contributing. But, please go away now and bore no more."[32]
A less negative North American review came from MTVs Tom Phalen, he remarked that "This is a very listenable collection, and Faith No More deserves to be more than a one-hit wonder." His review also observed "[It's] clear that the success of new head-pounding youngsters like Korn and Rage Against the Machine hasn't been lost on FNM - 'Naked In Front of the Computer' angrily rails its fists against The Man and his devices."[33]
The San Francisco Chronicle likewise had a positive take on the record, claiming "it has balance, poise, aggression and potential hits. Mike Patton's vocal work is outstanding, with genuine singing emerging from his more guttural bursts. Also, the welcome return of a more involved Bottum restores the full dimension of the band's sound." The review goes on to state "Faith No More's trademarks appear subtly all over Album of the Year: the little melodic flutter during the opening spaces of 'Stripsearch', the dramatic keyboard platforms in the first single, 'Ashes to Ashes', and the cheesiness of the smooth, soulful 'She Loves Me Not'. The band also returns to the bitter aggression of some of its previous material [and] even manage a severely twisted late-night cocktail of a song, 'Home Sick Home'. After Album of the Year, it would be nothing short of criminal if the band decided to call it quits."[34] British publication NME labelled it as a "slamdunk return to form" in a June 1997 issue.[35]
Legacy
The album developed praise from the wider music community following the band's initial break-up in April 1998. In his retrospective review, Greg Prato of AllMusic gave the album a rating of four stars out of five and described it as being "a fitting way for one of alt-rock's most influential and important bands to end its career."[1] The linear notes for the 2003 compilation This Is It: The Best of Faith No More assert "If Angel Dust put an exclamation point on Faith No More's trademark sound, the release of their 1997 coda, Album of the Year, planted the ellipses at the end of a career that was as charismatic and riveting as it was jarring."[36] Stereogum referred to it as "a great album" in 2015, and pointed out there was a deeper level of maturity. They wrote "Album of the Year sounds 'mature', a blasphemous term for a band of self-professed oddballs who had a reputation as crass and scatological pranksters [...] All the humor on Album of the Year, right down to its title, feels a bit crestfallen and self-deprecating, as if the band had aged a decade since King for a Day."[37] In the PopMatters review for the 2016 deluxe edition, it is noted the album "was generally maligned as a disappointing swan song for Faith No More when it came out in 1997" and that "revisiting Album of the Year today is a more forgiving experience."[38] System of a Down drummer John Dolmayan listed it as an album that changed his life for a 2020 Metal Hammer feature on ten life changing albums.[39]
Singer Mike Patton criticized this era of Faith No More in late 90s and early 2000s interviews, with comments such as "[We split] Because we were starting to make bad music. And that's when you need to pull the plug. Our next record would have been a piece of shit."[40]
Commercial
As of 2015, the album had sold 221,000 copies in the U.S.[41] This nearly matched the total for King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime but was a significantly lower figure than that of the other two albums featuring Mike Patton on vocals. On other charts, it fared much better. In Australia, it topped the ARIA charts on June 28, 1997, before being overtaken by Savage Garden's self-titled album on July 4, 1997.[42] It went Platinum in the country for sales of more than 70,000 copies.[43] It also peaked at #1 in New Zealand. The album only had slight impact in the UK charts but it did go Gold for sales of more than 100,000 copies. Album Of The Year has currently sold just over one million albums worldwide.
Release history
Initial pressings of the Australian, UK and Dutch versions of the album included a bonus remix disc.
In 2003, it was reissued on CD across Europe by Warner Bros. Records.
Album of the Year would be the second album in the band's discography to be re-released by Dutch music label Music On Vinyl after Angel Dust.[44] Released on August 26, 2013, the album had a limited pressing run of 2000 hand numbered copies on gold vinyl, as well as on black vinyl which remains available in some retailers.
Album of the Year was released as a deluxe edition on 2016 with two discs; the second disc contains eight bonus tracks.[45]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Mike Patton.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Collision" | Jon Hudson, Mike Patton | 3:24 |
2. | "Stripsearch" | Mike Bordin, Hudson, Billy Gould | 4:29 |
3. | "Last Cup of Sorrow" | Gould, Patton | 4:12 |
4. | "Naked in Front of the Computer" | Patton | 2:08 |
5. | "Helpless" | Bordin, Patton, Gould | 5:26 |
6. | "Mouth to Mouth" | Bordin, Patton, Hudson, Gould | 3:48 |
7. | "Ashes to Ashes" | Bordin, Patton, Hudson, Gould, Roddy Bottum | 3:37 |
8. | "She Loves Me Not" | Bordin, Gould, Patton | 3:29 |
9. | "Got That Feeling" | Patton | 2:20 |
10. | "Paths of Glory" | Bordin, Patton, Hudson, Gould, Bottum | 4:17 |
11. | "Home Sick Home" | Patton | 1:59 |
12. | "Pristina" | Gould, Patton | 3:51 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
13. | "The Big Kahuna" (Japanese or limited Edition bonus track) | Bordin, Patton, Hudson, Gould | 3:07 |
14. | "Light Up & Let Go" (Japanese or limited Edition bonus track) | Patton | 2:20 |
15. | "Last Cup of Sorrow" (Rammstein mix) (Limited edition bonus track) | 4:23 | |
16. | "Ashes to Ashes" (Hardknox Alternative mix) (Limited edition bonus track) | 6:47 | |
17. | "She Loves Me Not" (Spinna Crazy dub mix) (Limited edition bonus track) | 4:41 | |
18. | "Last Cup of Sorrow" (Sharam Vs FNM Club mix) (Limited edition bonus track) | 7:24 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Last Cup of Sorrow" (Bigfoot and Wildboy mix) | 8:44 |
2. | "Last Cup of Sorrow" (Bonehead mix) | 4:54 |
3. | "Ashes to Ashes" (Hardknox Horned Hand mix) | 6:47 |
4. | "Ashes to Ashes" (Automatic 5 dub) | 6:10 |
5. | "She Loves Me Not" (Spinna Main mix) | 4:41 |
6. | "Ashes to Ashes" (Dillinja mix) | 5:30 |
No. | Title | Source | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Pristina" (Billy Gould mix) | "Last Cup of Sorrow" single | 4:14 |
2. | "Last Cup of Sorrow" (Roli Mosimann mix) | "Last Cup of Sorrow" single | 6:23 |
3. | "She Loves Me Not" (Spinna Main mix) | Bonus disc of Album of the Year Limited Edition | 4:36 |
4. | "Ashes to Ashes" (DJ Icey & Maestro mix) | "Ashes to Ashes" CD single | 6:05 |
5. | "Light Up & Let Go" | "Ashes to Ashes" CD single | 2:17 |
6. | "The Big Kahuna" | "Ashes to Ashes" CD single | 3:04 |
7. | "This Guy's In Love With You" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) (Live) | "I Started a Joke" single | 4:19 |
8. | "Collision" (Live) | "Stripsearch" CD single | 3:28 |
Track 7 recorded on 21 October 1997 at the Horden Pavilion, Sydney, Australia by MTV Australia.
Track 8 recorded on 27 August 1997 at Night Town, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Personnel
- Faith No More
- Mike Bordin – drums
- Roddy Bottum – keyboards
- Billy Gould – bass guitar, producer
- Jon Hudson – guitar
- Mike Patton – vocals
- Production
- Roli Mosimann – producer, mixing
- Paul Ceppaglia – mixing assistant
- Atom – engineer
- Mike Bogus – engineer
- Daniel Presley – engineer
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Katherine Delaney – art direction, design
Accolades
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kerrang! | United Kingdom | "Albums of the Year"[46] | 1997 | 10 |
Chart positions
- Album
Chart | Peak |
---|---|
Australian Albums Chart | 1 |
Czech Republic Top 40 | 1 |
New Zealand Charts | 1 |
German Album Charts | 2 |
Finnish Albums Chart[47] | 4 |
UK Albums (OCC)[48] | 7 |
Swedish Top 50 | 11 |
French Albums Chart[49] | 17 |
Canada Albums Chart[50] | 35 |
U.S. Billboard 200 | 41 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1997) | Position |
---|---|
German Albums Chart[51] | 64 |
- Singles
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Main[52] | AUS [53] |
FIN [54] |
NOR [55] |
NZ [56] |
SWI [57] |
UK [58][59] | ||||||
1997 | "Ashes to Ashes" | 22 | 8 | 7 | 14 | 39 | 50 | 15 | ||||
"Last Cup of Sorrow" | 14 | 66 | — | — | 32 | — | 51 | |||||
"Stripsearch" | — | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"—" denotes singles that were released but did not chart. |
References
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