Freak Show (album)

Freak Show
Studio album by Silverchair
Released 3 February 1997
Recorded Pre-production: Tuesday 21 May
Recording: Thursday, 30 May–Tuesday 5 November 1996 (various times but in total 3 weeks) at Festival Studios in Pyrmont, New South Wales, Australia
Genre Grunge
Length 52:08
Label Murmur
Producer Nick Launay
Silverchair chronology
Frogstomp
(1995)
Freak Show
(1997)
Neon Ballroom
(1999)
Singles from Freak Show
  1. "No Association (Promo)[1]"
    Released: 11 November 1996
  2. "Freak"
    Released: 13 January 1997
  3. "Abuse Me"
    Released: April 1997
  4. "Cemetery"
    Released: June 1997
  5. "The Door"
    Released: October 1997
  6. "Pop Song for Us Rejects (Promo)"
    Released: December 1997

Freak Show is the second studio album from Australian rock band Silverchair. Freak Show was released on 3 February 1997. The album also gives listeners a glimpse into the band's experimental side, as can be heard in "Petrol & Chlorine" and "Cemetery". Early vinyl pressings also included a precursor to "Anthem for the Year 2000" entitled "The Millennium Bug".

Contents

Background

Silverchair began recording their second studio album, Freak Show, in May 1996 while experiencing the success of their debut album, Frogstomp, in Australia and the US. It was produced by Nick Launay (Birthday Party, Models, Midnight Oil) and was released in February 1997.[2][3] The album reached number-one in Australia and yielded three Top 10 singles – "Freak", "Abuse Me", and "Cemetery".[4] Its fourth single, "The Door", reached No. 25.[4] The songs focused on the anger and backlash that the expectations of Frogstomp brought upon the band.[5] Freak Show was certified gold in the US, 4× platinum in Australia and global sales eventually exceeded 1.5 million copies.[6][7][8]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [9]
Rolling Stone [10]

Track listing

  1. "Slave" (Johns, Gillies) – 3:57
  2. "Freak" (Johns) – 3:49
  3. "Abuse Me" (Johns) – 4:03
  4. "Lie to Me" (Johns) – 1:22
  5. "No Association" (Johns, Gillies) – 3:56
  6. "Cemetery" (Johns) – 4:04
  7. "The Door" (Johns) – 3:38
  8. "Pop Song for Us Rejects" (Johns) – 3:15
  9. "Learn to Hate" (Gillies) – 4:21
  10. "Petrol & Chlorine" (Johns) – 4:00
  11. "Roses" (Johns, Gillies) – 3:34
  12. "Nobody Came" (Johns, Gillies) – 6:08
  13. "The Closing" (Gillies) – 3:27

All lyrics by Daniel Johns.

Trivia

Personnel

Additional personnel

Chart positions

Chart (1997) Position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart 1
U.S. Billboard 200 12
Preceded by
Romeo + Juliet (soundtrack)
by Various artists
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
16 February 1997 – 22 February 1997
Succeeded by
Pop by U2

References

  1. ^ "Silverchair – "No Association" (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/release/733544. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  2. ^ Nimmervoll, Ed. "Silverchair". HowlSpace – The Living History of Our Music. White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62OUYFdii. Retrieved 13 October 2011. 
  3. ^ Spencer, Chris; McHenry, Paul; Nowara, Zbig (2007) [1989]. "'silverchair' entry". The Who's Who of Australian Rock. Moonlight Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86503-891-9. 
  4. ^ a b Hung, Steffen. "Silverchair Discography". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62OWfPuQr. Retrieved 13 October 2011. 
  5. ^ Wooldridge, Simon (February 1997). "Freak Show Review". Juice. 
  6. ^ "Gold and Platinum – Silverchair". RIAA. http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Silverchair&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 17 February 2008. 
  7. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 1997 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 14 October 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62R8447YR. Retrieved 15 October 2011. 
  8. ^ "silverchair". rage. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 4 September 1999. Archived from the original on 14 October 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62R8P5Mcn. Retrieved 15 October 2011. 
  9. ^ Allmusic review
  10. ^ Rolling Stone review
  11. ^ "Silverchair – Freak Show (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/release/382574. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  12. ^ Silverchair: skeletons in the closet