Release the Stars

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Release the Stars

Studio album by Rufus Wainwright

Released

May 15, 2007

Genre

Pop

Length

55:09

Label

Geffen

Producer

Rufus Wainwright, Neil Tennant

Professional reviews

Rufus Wainwright chronology

Want Two
(2004)

Release the Stars
(2007)

Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall
(2007)

Release the Stars is the fifth studio album by Rufus Wainwright, released on May 15, 2007. "Going to a Town" was the first single. Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant executive produced the album, which was mixed with the assistance of producers Marius De Vries and Andy Bradfield.^[1] The album features guest stars Richard Thompson, Teddy Thompson, Martha Wainwright, Kate McGarrigle, Neil Tennant, Joan Wasser, and Sian Phillips.^[2]

1 Background
2 Track listing
3 Personnel
4 Chart positions
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Background

"Going to a Town" was released as a single on April 3, 2007 on the iTunes music store and quickly became one of Wainwright's best selling tracks online. It also achieved B list status on the BBC Radio 2 playlist.^[3] "Low Grade Happiness" is a B-side offered on the May 7 release of the single in the UK.

Release the Stars debuted at number 23 on the U.S. Billboard 200, Wainwright's highest debut chart position to date, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week.^[4] The album also achieved Wainwright's highest chart position in the UK album chart The Official UK Charts Company debuting at #2 with sales approaching 30,000 in the first week alone.^[5]

The song "Tulsa" was written after Wainwright met The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers in a bar. "Sanssouci" was inspired by 18th century Prussian monarch Frederick the Great's Rococo summer palace outside Berlin. Sans Souci literally means 'without care' in French, and is thought by some to be used in this song to represent some of Rufus' darker liaisons in the period leading up to his temporary blindness. The last 30 seconds of "Between My Legs" contains the opening notes of the title song from Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera.

The images on the front cover, back cover, and liner notes of the album are from the famous gigantomachy frieze at the Pergamon Altar, currently in Berlin. The photos were taken by Wainwright.

The song "Nobody's Off the Hook" was later covered in July 2007 by Japanese duo Nichika and released on their single Genius Party.^[6]

[edit] Track listing

"Do I Disappoint You" – 4:40
"Going to a Town" – 4:06
"Tiergarten" – 3:26
"Nobody's Off the Hook" – 4:27
"Between My Legs" – 4:26
"Rules and Regulations" – 4:05
"Not Ready to Love" – 5:51
"Slideshow" – 6:21
"Tulsa" – 2:20
"Leaving For Paris No. 2" – 4:52
"Sanssouci" – 5:16
"Release the Stars" – 5:20

iTunes pre-order bonus track

"Cowboy Song"

Walmart online bonus track

"Patience is a Virtue"

Best Buy bonus tracks

The CD included a download card.

"Old Paint"
"Low-Grade Happiness"

UK Version Bonus Track

"Do I Disappoint You" (instrumental version)

Bonus DVD with album commentary and live performances of "Vibrate", "The Art Teacher", "Rebel Prince", and "Gay Messiah".

[edit] Personnel

Rufus Wainwright – Vocals (1-12), Piano (1-3,5,9,10), String Arrangement (2,4,7-9,12), Acoustic Guitar (5-8), Piano Arrangement (4,9), Horn Arrangement (6,8), Nylon String Guitar (11), Percussion (3), Orchestral Arrangement (1)
David Adorjan - Cello (1,2,4,9)
Gabriel Adorjan - Violin (1,2,4,9)
Carl Albach - Trumpet (1,6,8), Piccolo Trumpet (1,6,8)
Brad Albetta - Bass (11)
Steven Bernstein - Trumpet (1,6,8,12), Conducting (1,6,8), Horn Arrangement (12)
Jason Boshoff - Programming (1,3,5,6,11)
Rob Burger - Organ (12)
Ozan Cakar - French Horn (1,2,5)
John Chudoba - Trumpet (1,6,8)
Barry Danielian - Trumpet (12)
Marius de Vries - Programming (1,3,5,6,11), Conducting (7,8,12), Breathing (3)
Dominic Derasse - Trumpet (1,6,8), Piccolo Trumpet (1,6,8)
Florian Dorpholz - Trumpet (1,2,5)
Lygia Forrest - Backing Vocals (12)
Rachelle Garniez - Claviola (6), Accordion (6)
Pirmin Grehl - Flute (1,11)
Jason Hart - Backing Vocals (5), Organ (2)
Jeff Hill - Electric Bass (5-8), Bass (1,3,10), Upright Bass (2,6), Backing Vocals (5)
Smokey Hormel - Guitar (12)
Matt Johnson - Drums (2,3,5-8), Backing Vocals (5), Percussion (8), Recorder (6)
Sharon Jones - Backing Vocals (12)
Briggan Krauss - Baritone Saxophone (12)
Gerry Leonard - Guitar (1,5,6,11), Electric Guitar (3,7)
Dan Levine - Trombone (1,6,8,12)
London Session Orchestra - Strings (7,8,12)
Kate McGarrigle - Piano (7)
John Medeski - Piano (12)
Raphael Mentzen - Trumpet (1,2,5)
Ronith Mues - Harp (3,5,11)
Jenni Muldaur - Backing Vocals (3,11)
Larry Mullins - Shaker (1,2,6), Triangle (1,2,5), Timpani (1,5), Cymbals (1,5), Tambourine (1,6), Vibes (1,7), Piano Percussion (1), Bass Drum (1), Tabla (6), Bongos (5), Bells (1), Cowbells (1), Castanets (5), Woodblock (6), Fish (6), Marimba (2), Glockenspiel (1)
Jack Petruzelli - Acoustic Guitar (5,6,11), Electric Guitar (5,7,8), Backing Vocals (5), Banjo (2)
Siân Phillips - Spoken Word (5)
Anna Prohaska - Vocals (5)
Julianna Raye - Backing Vocals (2,5,8,11), Tambourine (5)
Rachel Rilling - Violin (1,2,4,9)
Lucy Roche - Backing Vocals (2,5,8,11)
Raphael Sachs - Viola (1,2,4,9)
Jorg Sandnar - Piano (4)
Tony Scherr - Upright Bass (12)
Louis Schwadron - French Horn (5)
Paul Shapiro - Tenor Saxophone (12)
Tom Stephan - Additional Programming (3)
Neil Tennant - Backing Vocals (3,6,7), Breathing (3), Keyboards (7), Synthesizer (6), Loops (1), Samples (1), Vibes (7)
Ian Thomas - Drums (5)
Richard Thompson - Electric Guitar (2,5,7,8), Acoustic Guitar (3)
Teddy Thompson - Backing Vocals (3)
Dave Trigg - Trumpet (1,6,8), Piccolo Trumpet (1,6,8)
Martha Wainwright - Backing Vocals (1,8)
Joan Wasser - Backing Vocals (2,5,8,11), Electric Guitar (5,8), Violin (2)
Kenny Wollesen - Drums (12)