Return of Saturn

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Return of Saturn
Studio album by No Doubt
Released	April 11, 2000
Genre	New Wave, Ska punk
Length	60:42
Label	Interscope
Producer(s)	No Doubt, Glen Ballard, Jerry Harrison, Matthew Wilder
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone 4/27/2000
No Doubt chronology
Tragic Kingdom (1995)	Return of Saturn (2000)	Rock Steady (2001)

Return of Saturn is the fourth album by ska punk band No Doubt, released in 2000 (see 2000 in music).

The album is considered by many as their darkest. Most of this is true because here the group replaces their signature ska sound, which has always been colorful and giddy, by the artsy detachment of new wave, inspired by such bands like Split Enz and especially Missing Persons. Gwen Stefani's self-deprecating lyrical sense in this album also grabbed the attention of critics, who poked her about writing on such things like insecurity, marriage and settling down. And although they appealed to teenage girls and their dear diary lives, the lyrics received strokes of criticism and misinterpretation by the masses, and that had a negative effect on the popularity of the CD. But the musical part, which leant on the retro-smart production sense of Glen Ballard, was very celebrated and acclaimed, even though the album slid down the charts (after a very good start) and only got one major hit ("Simple Kind of Life"), while "Ex-Girlfriend", "Bathwater", and "New" largely failed to reach expectations. "Magic's in the Makeup" was originally intended to be the fourth and final single.

The title of the album comes from the 30-year period Saturn takes to revolve around the sun, and which refers to the maturity and self evaluation people supposedly encounter at that period of their lives; this is often formally called 'The Saturn Return' by astrologers and others and has been known about since the time of the ancient Greeks. Specifically the album was named so because Gwen Stefani's 30th birthday was occurring. It also matches with the album's themes of independence and confusion.

Contents 1 Critical reception 2 Track listing 3 Personnel 4 Production 5 Charts 5.1 Album 5.2 Singles

[edit] Critical reception

The album was well-received by critics. All Music Guide gave it four and a half stars, calling it "a terrific, layered record that exceeds any expectations set by Tragic Kingdom".[1] Barry Walters of Rolling Stone referred to it as "a superstar follow-up that not only betters its predecessor but also radically departs from it".[2]

[edit] Track listing

1. "Ex-Girlfriend" (Dumont, Kanal, Stefani) – 3:32
2. "Simple Kind of Life" (Stefani) – 4:16
3. "Bathwater" (Dumont, Kanal, Stefani) – 4:02
4. "Six Feet Under" (Kanal, Stefani) – 2:28
5. "Magic's in the Makeup" – 4:21
6. "Artificial Sweetener" (Dumont, Kanal, Stefani) – 3:54
7. "Marry Me" (Kanal, Stefani) – 4:38
8. "New" (Dumont, Stefani) – 4:26
9. "Too Late" (Dumont, Kanal, Stefani) – 4:16
10. "Comforting Lie" (Dumont, Kanal, Stefani) – 2:52
11. "Suspension Without Suspense" (Stefani) – 4:10
12. "Staring Problem" (Kanal, Stefani, Stefani) – 2:43
13. "Home Now" (Dumont, Kanal, Stefani) – 4:34
14. "Dark Blue" (Dumont, Kanal, Stefani) – 10:30
    • Contains the hidden track "Big Distraction" in Europe and Australia, "Too Late (instrumental)" in North America, and "Full Circle" in Japan

[edit] Personnel

No Doubt

• Tom Dumont - guitar
• Tony Kanal - bass
• Gwen Stefani - vocals
• Adrian Young - percussion, drums

Additional personnel

• Stephen Bradley - trombone, trumpet, keyboard
• Mike Garson - piano
• Gabrial McNair - synthesizer, piano, trombone, keyboard
• Theo Mondle - tabla

[edit] Production

• Producers: No Doubt, Glen Ballard, Jerry Harrison, Matthew Wilder
• Engineers: Sean Beavan, Scott Campbell, Bryan Carrigan, Karl Derfler, Alain Johannes, Thom Panunzio
• Mixing: Jack Joseph Puig
• Mastering: Bob Ludwig
• A&R: Tom Whalley
• Synthesizer programming: Michael Boddicker, Bryan Carrigan, Gabrial McNair
• String arrangements: Paul Buckmaster
• Horn arrangements: Gabrial McNair
• Production coordination: Jolie Levine-Aller
• Production assistant: Rachel Cleverley
• Package coordinator: Cindy Cooper
• Web service: Ray Ibe
• Chart preparation: Orion Crawford
• Art coordinator: Joe-Mama Nitzberg
• Design: Robert Fisher
• Photography: David LaChapelle, Joe-Mama Nitzberg
• Personal assistant: Chris Fenn

[edit] Charts

[edit] Album

Chart (2000)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200	2
Canadian Albums Chart	4
German Albums Chart	5
United World Chart	5
UK Albums Chart	31

[edit] Singles

Single	Chart (2000)	Peak position
"Ex-Girlfriend"	U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	2
	UK Singles Chart	17
	German Singles Chart	34
	Canadian Singles Chart	40
"Simple Kind of Life"	U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	14
	U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40	18
	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	38
	UK Singles Chart	69
	Dutch Singles Chart	98
Single	Chart (2001)	Peak position
"Bathwater"	U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40	39

No Doubt
Stephen Bradley - Tom Dumont - Tony Kanal - Gabrial McNair - Gwen Stefani - Adrian Young
Former members: John Spence - Eric Stefani
Discography
Studio albums: No Doubt - The Beacon Street Collection - Tragic Kingdom - Return of Saturn - Rock Steady
Compilations: The Singles 1992-2003 - Everything in Time - Boom Box
DVDs: Live in the Tragic Kingdom - Rock Steady Live - The Videos: 1992-2003