Awake (Godsmack album)

Awake is the second studio album by rock band Godsmack, released on October 31, 2000. It features the song "Goin' Down", which first appeared on the band's first studio recording, All Wound Up. This was the only Godsmack album to feature drummer Tommy Stewart.

Awake
Studio album by
Godsmack
ReleasedOctober 31, 2000
StudioRiver's Edge Productions Inc., Haverhill, Massachusetts
GenreAlternative metal,[1] nu metal[2]
Length45:29
LabelRepublic/Universal
ProducerSully Erna, Mudrock
Godsmack chronology
Godsmack
(1998)		 Awake
(2000)		 Faceless
(2003)
Singles from Awake
  1. "Awake"
    Released: June 20, 2000
  2. "Bad Magick"
    Released: February 22, 2001
  3. "Greed"
    Released: May 22, 2001
  4. "Sick of Life"
    Released: August 9, 2001
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment Weekly(C−)[4]
Robert Christgau[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
Q
(6/01, p.106)

During the 2000s, the songs "Sick of Life" and "Awake" were used for the United States Navy's "Accelerate Your Life" recruiting advertisements.[7]

Recording

The band opted to convert a warehouse in Haverhill into a makeshift studio, rather than use a more traditional studio setting. According to Sully Erna, the band just didn't want to move into any luxurious studio, because they wanted to keep the edge on for writing and "not get too far away from what we're all about". So they just stayed in the slums rather than moving into luxury.[8]

Erna says the results show in the music's "tougher" sound; "however, it has a very raw edge to it. It's not very polished," he says. "But it still has a lot of good grooves, and it still has a lot of power."[8]

The band also kept in touch with its roots by working some older unreleased material. The album includes older songs that just missed being on the debut. "Goin' Down" is a track from the original Godsmack album that was dropped in favor of "Whatever" for the major-label release. The songs "Bad Magick" and "Vampires" also date back to the same period.[8]

Release

Awake debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, selling 256,000 copies in its first week,[9] and the album would go on to sell at least 2,000,000 copies in the United States.[10]

Since its release, the album's title track dominated rock radio and broke chart records throughout 2000 and 2001. The album's spoken word track "Vampires" earned the band its first Grammy nomination.[11] "Greed" earned the band Boston Music Awards nominations for single and video of the year.[12]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Sully Erna, except where noted.

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Sick of Life"Erna3:51
2."Awake"Erna5:04
3."Greed"Erna3:29
4."Bad Magick"Erna4:17
5."Goin' Down"Erna, Tony Rombola, Robbie Merrill3:24
6."Mistakes"Erna, Rombola5:58
7."Trippin'"Erna, Rombola4:56
8."Forgive Me"Erna4:18
9."Vampires" (instrumental, contains dialogue from television show Mysterious Forces Beyond)Erna, Merrill3:47
10."The Journey" (instrumental)Erna, Rombola0:49
11."Spiral"Erna, Rombola5:36
Total length:45:29
Japanese bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Why"Erna3:15
13."Sweet Leaf" (Black Sabbath cover)Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward4:55
Total length:53:39

Personnel

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[18] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[19] 2× Platinum 2,500,000[20]

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history
Country Date Label
United States October 31, 2000 Uptown/Universal
Japan March 23, 2001 Universal International

References
  1. Garrity, Brian (2000). "Billboard - Vol. 112, No. 44". 112. Nielsen Business Media: 18. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) (October 28th, 2000). Retrieved on September 23rd, 2015
  2. Greg Pratt (February 1, 2001). "Godsmack Awake". Exclaim.ca.
  3. "Awake - Godsmack". AllMusic.
  4. Hermes, Will (2000-11-03). "Awake Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  5. "CG: godsmack". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  6. Kot, Greg (2000-11-09). "Godsmack: Awake : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-12-02. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
  7. "Sully Erna Visits Showbiz Tonight". rockdirt.com. 2006-05-13. Archived from the original on 2012-02-18.
  8. "Godsmack Keeps Alt Metal 'Awake'". Billboard.com. 2000-11-01.
  9. "Godsmack–Artist chart history". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  10. "Godsmack Is 'Awake' At #5". Yahoo! Music. 2000-11-09. Archived from the original on 2007-08-15. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  11. "Ken Phillips Publicity Group - Godsmack". Ken Phillips Publicity Group. 2006-07-11. Archived from the original on 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  12. "Godsmack Delivers 'Smack This!' DVD". Billboard.com. 2002-03-28.
  13. "Godsmack - Awake". austriancharts.at.
  14. "Charverfolgung / Godsmack / Longplay" (in German). PhonoNet.
  15. "Godsmack - Awake". charts.nz.
  16. "Awake - Godsmack". Billboard.
  17. "Godsmack Alternative Songs Chart History". Billboard.
  18. "Canadian album certifications – Godsmack – Awake". Music Canada.
  19. "American album certifications – Godsmack – Awake". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  20. "Universal Republic Community | Biography". universalrepublic.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
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