A Bigger Bang
A Bigger Bang is the 22nd British and 24th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released on Virgin Records in September 2005. It is a follow-up to their previous full-length studio album Bridges to Babylon from 1997, that gap of eight years the longest between studio albums of the band's recording career. Released as a double album on vinyl and a single compact disc, it was produced by Don Was and The Glimmer Twins.
History
The album used a stripped-down style reminiscent of Some Girls, but with a harder, more contemporary edge. Many of these songs were recorded with just the core band of Jagger, Richards and Watts. Ronnie Wood was absent from some of the sessions, playing on only ten of the sixteen tracks, with only very occasional contributions from outside musicians comprising the recording of the album.
Although initial reports stated that the Stones had "returned to their roots" with the record, the minimal instrumentation, rough mix, and tough blues and "garage" rock hybrid bear certain similarities to the style of contemporary artists like The White Stripes and The Black Keys. The album is the first on which Jagger also plays bass guitar on some tracks.
Content
The first single, "Streets of Love/Rough Justice", reached #15 in the UK singles chart, while A Bigger Bang entered the UK charts at #2, and #3 in the US and France. However, like all of The Rolling Stones' studio albums from Undercover onwards, its commercial performance was not enormous, as its singles failed to become major hits in the US. Even before the singles were released, A Bigger Bang was noted for the song "Sweet Neo Con," which was critical of both President George W. Bush and American politics in general, and caused minor controversy.[1]
In August 2005 the Rolling Stones embarked on the A Bigger Bang Tour in support of the album. The 90-show phenomenon is the largest tour in North American history and was met with sold-out tickets at every destination, usually within minutes of opening. The tour was extended into 2007 because Richards fell out of a tree in Fiji. It concluded on August 2007 at the O2 Arena in London.
Critical reaction was mostly positive. A Bigger Bang was touted as the best Rolling Stones album since 1981's Tattoo You and found the band in a revitalized state. Nevertheless, all of the Stones albums since 1989's Steel Wheels had been similarly lauded, and many critics and fans felt that the Stones had yet to record a late-period album truly up to their high standards, though the rock-oriented nature of the record certainly appeased the Stones' loyal fanbase. It was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005, and ranked the second-best album of the year by Rolling Stone magazine, behind rapper Kanye West's Late Registration.[2]
A Bigger Bang went platinum in the US[3] and in Germany,[4] and Gold in Japan.[5] According to Nielsen SoundScan it sold 546,000 copies in the US,[6] and as of 31 March 2006, had sold 2.4 million copies worldwide according to EMI.[7]
In 2009, A Bigger Bang was reissued by Universal Music Group. The US re-release was handled by Interscope Records, while Polydor Records handled all other territories.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
| 1. |
"Sweet Neo Con" |
4:33 |
| 2. |
"Look What the Cat Dragged In" |
3:57 |
| 3. |
"Driving Too Fast" |
3:56 |
| 4. |
"Infamy" |
3:47 |
| 1. |
"Introduction to A Bigger Bang" |
10:45 |
| 2. |
"Streets of Love (video)" |
4:25 |
| 3. |
"Streets of Love (TV performance)" |
4:03 |
| 4. |
"Rough Justice (TV performance)" |
3:10 |
| 5. |
"Rain Fall Down (Remix)" |
6:10 |
| 6. |
"Under the Radar (Bonus track)" |
4:36 |
| 7. |
"Don't Wanna Go Home (Bonus track)" |
3:34 |
| 8. |
"Streets of Love (with commentary from director Jake Nava)" |
4:25 |
Personnel
- Mick Jagger – lead vocals, backing vocals, guitars, harmonica, keyboards, bass guitar, percussion
- Keith Richards – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, bass guitar, lead vocals on "This Place is Empty" and "Infamy"
- Ronnie Wood – guitars
- Charlie Watts – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
Chart positions
- Album
| Year |
Chart |
Position |
| 2005 |
UK Top 75 Albums |
2 |
| 2005 |
The Billboard 200 |
3 |
| 2006 |
The Billboard 200 |
128 |
- Singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart |
Position |
| 2005 |
"Rough Justice" |
Mainstream Rock Tracks |
25 [8] |
| 2005 |
"Streets of Love"/"Rough Justice" |
UK Top 75 Singles |
15 [9] |
| 2005 |
"Oh No, Not You Again" |
Mainstream Rock Tracks |
34 |
| 2005 |
"Rain Fall Down" |
UK Top 75 Singles |
33 |
| 2006 |
"Rain Fall Down" |
Hot Dance Singles/Club Play |
21 |
| 2006 |
"Biggest Mistake" |
UK Top 75 Singles |
51 [10] |
Worldwide Sales charts
| Country |
Peak
position |
| Worldwide |
1 |
| Europe |
1 |
| Italy |
1 |
| Argentina |
1 |
| Netherlands |
1 |
| Germany |
1 [11] |
| Swiss |
1 |
| Sweden |
1 |
| Denmark |
1 |
| Canada |
1 |
| Austria |
1 |
| U.K |
2 |
| Spain |
2 |
| Czech Republic |
2 |
| New Zealand |
2 |
| Poland |
2 |
| Norway |
2 |
| France |
3 |
| U.S |
3 |
| Greece |
3 |
| Belgium |
3 |
| Australia |
4 |
| Finland |
4 |
| Japan |
5 |
| Portugal |
5 |
| Hungary |
10 |
| Brazil |
14 |
| Ireland |
18 |
Certifications
References
- ^ Ali, Lorraine (August 15, 2005). "Satisfaction Guaranteed". Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/2005/08/14/satisfaction-guaranteed.html. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
- ^ "The Top 50 Records of 2005". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070202234303/http://www.rollingstone.com/special/8952414/the_top_50_records_of_2005. Retrieved 2007-05-06. "2. The Rolling Stones, A Bigger Bang"
- ^ "American album certifications – The Rolling Stones – A Bigger Bang". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22A+Bigger+Bang%22. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Rolling Stones; 'A Bigger Bang')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=A+Bigger+Bang&strInterpret=The+Rolling+Stones&strTtArt=alben&strAwards=checked.
- ^ "Japanese album certifications – The Rolling Stones – A Bigger Bang" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gold/200509.html.
- ^ Christman, Ed, et al. "Future Shock". Billboard. January 23, 2010
- ^ Paul Cashmere (13 January 2007). "Undercover News: EMI Share Price Drops On Restructure Announcement". undercover.fm. http://www.undercover.fm/news/1275-emi-share-price-drops-on-restructure-announcement. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
- ^ "Top 400 Modern Rock songs". Modernrock.com. http://modernrock.com/charts/rock_chart_2005.htm. Retrieved 9-2-11.
- ^ "UK Top 75 singles, 2005". polyhex.net. http://www.polyhex.net/music/miscpdfs/UKTop752005.pdf. Retrieved 9-2-11.
- ^ "UK Top 75 singles, 2006". polyhex.net. http://www.polyhex.net/music/miscpdfs/UKTop752006.pdf. Retrieved 9-2-11.
- ^ "ROLLING STONES, THE: A Bigger Bang (Longplay)". Musicline.de. http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/title/ROLLING+STONES%2C+THE/A+Bigger+Bang/longplay. Retrieved 9-2-11.
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