A Present for Everyone

A Present for Everyone
Studio album by Busted
Released 17 November 2003
Recorded 2003
Genre Pop punk, pop rock
Length 45:57
Label Universal Island
Producer Steve Power, The Matrix, Graeme Stewart
Busted chronology

Busted
(2002)		 A Present for Everyone
(2003)		 Busted
(2004)
Singles from A Present for Everyone
  1. "Crashed the Wedding"
    Released: 10 November 2003
  2. "Who's David?"
    Released: 16 February 2004
  3. "Air Hostess"
    Released: 23 April 2004
  4. "Thunderbirds / 3AM"
    Released: 26 July 2004
  5. "She Wants to Be Me"
    Released: 29 November 2004
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

A Present for Everyone is the second and final studio album by British pop rock band Busted. It was released on 17 November 2003 by Universal Island Records and debuted at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart.[2] It became a triple platinum album with sales of over one million.[3]

Background

The album was originally intended to be titled Drum Roll, and was referred to as such in press releases and interviews up until October of that year. The album showed a more mature sound compared to their debut album. Eight of the thirteen standard edition tracks were co-written with Tom Fletcher from McFly, a band who Bourne helped form following Fletcher's departure from Busted in the early days of the band. "She Wants to Be Me" and "3am" were co-written with production team The Matrix, which showed a slight departure in sound for the band, venturing more into Pop punk.

"Fake" and "Better Than This" were collaborations between Willis, Guy Chambers and Steve Power, and both were hailed as stand-out tracks on the album in critical reviews. Bourne and Neve guitarist Michael Raphael wrote "Can't Break Thru", while Simpson co-wrote "Why" with his brother Will. "Why" shows a much heavier rock sound, similar to that of Simpson's future project Fightstar, which he would later leave Busted for to commit to full-time. Simpson later hailed "Why" as his favourite Busted song of all time. "Better Than This", "Why" and "Can't Break Thru" have solo vocal performances from those who wrote them.

Singles

Five songs from the album were released as singles. "Crashed the Wedding" was released in November 2003, "Who's David?" was released in February 2004, "Air Hostess" was released in April 2004, "3AM" was released in July 2004, and "She Wants to Be Me", which was released in November 2004. "3AM" was issued as a double A-side with "Thunderbirds Are Go" (simply titled "Thunderbirds" upon single release), which was included on the 2004 reissue of the album and the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The 2004 re-issue of the album also includes various other popular Busted singles, and only includes three non-single tracks from the original album.[4] The Japanese deluxe edition of the album includes a bonus DVD containing five music videos and an additional EPK for Japan.

Critical reception

Critical reaction to the album was generally positive. On bbc.co.uk, Nikki Smith writes: "They far outshine their boy band competitors, not just because of their ability to play instruments but also for the sheer energy and enthusiasm that comes through in their music".[5] Allmusic states: "Though it's way too long at fifteen tracks, the album at least sticks to its template of earnest, slightly bawdy tales of boys and girls wrapped around peppy, ultra-slick, and sickeningly in-the-moment guitar pop."[6] The album was the 19th best selling of 2003 in the UK, and has been certified as 3× Platinum.

B-sides

The band covered a variety of popular tracks as B-sides for the singles from the album. The band recorded covers of "Build Me Up Buttercup", "That's Entertainment", "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", "O Holy Night", "Teenage Kicks", "Where is the Love?", "Fall at Your Feet" "Peaches" and "Runaway Train", as well as new tracks "Let it Go" and "Mummy Trade", which appeared as B-sides to "Air Hostess". The band's cover of "Teenage Kicks" was later included on their debut US release, as well as the re-issue of A Present in 2004. "Build Me Up Buttercup" is the second of the band's ongoing collaborations with McFly, following the release of "Lola" in 2004.

Track listing

A Present for Everyone — Standard edition
No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Air Hostess"  James Bourne • Tom Fletcher • Charlie Simpson • Matt WillisSteve Power 3:57
2. "Crashed the Wedding"  Bourne • FletcherSteve Power 2:39
3. "Who's David"  Bourne • FletcherSteve Power 3:31
4. "She Wants to Be Me"  Bourne • Simpson • Willis • Graham Edwards • Scott Spock • Lauren ChristyThe Matrix 3:23
5. "3AM"  Bourne • Simpson • Willis • Edwards • Spock • ChristyThe Matrix 3:39
6. "That Thing You Do"  Bourne • Fletcher • SimpsonSteve Power 3:24
7. "Over Now"  Bourne • FletcherSteve Power 3:53
8. "Fake"  Willis • Guy Chambers • Steve PowerSteve Power 3:25
9. "Meet You There"  Bourne • FletcherSteve Power 3:06
10. "Why"  Simpson • Will SimpsonGraeme Stewart 4:47
11. "Better Than This"  Willis • Chambers • PowerSteve Power 3:55
12. "Can't Break Thru"  Bourne • Michael RaphaelSteve Power 4:13
13. "Nerdy"  Bourne • Fletcher • SimpsonSteve Power 3:45
Total length:
 45:57

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2003) Peak
position
Danish Albums Chart 33
Eurochart Hot 100[9] 11
German Albums Chart 85
Irish Albums Chart 9
Japanese Albums Chart[10] 16
Japanese (International Albums Chart)[11] 8
Spanish Albums Chart[12] 64
UK Albums Chart[13] 2

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Japan (RIAJ)[14] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] 3× Platinum 900,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[16] Platinum 1,000,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Year-end charts

Chart (2003) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart 19
Chart (2004) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart 60

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic Review
  2. ↑ "A Present For Everyone by Busted". αCharts.us. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  3. ↑ "Busted Announcement". busted.com. 14 Jan 2005. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  4. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Busted-A-Present-For-Everyone/release/3134220
  5. ↑ Smith, Nikki (20 November 2002). "Busted A Present For Everyone Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  6. ↑ Loftus, Johnny. "Busted: A Present to Everyone > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "Busted: A Present For Everyone". eil.com. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  8. ↑ "A Present for Everyone [Import]". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  9. ↑ "Hits of the World - Eurochart Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 13 December 2003. p. 55. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "oXebh̃AoドLO". ORICON STYLE.
  11. ↑ "Google Translate".
  12. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  13. ↑ "2003-11-29 Top 40 Official Albums Chart UK Archive - Official Charts".
  14. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – Busted – Busted" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  15. ↑ "British album certifications – Busted – Busted". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 July 2012. Enter Busted in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  16. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2003". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.