Days of the New (1997 album)

Days of the New
Studio album by Days of the New
Released June 3, 1997
Recorded October, November 1996
Genre Post-grunge, grunge, acoustic rock, alternative rock
Length 72:00
Label Outpost Records
Geffen Records
Producer Scott Litt
Days of the New chronology

Days of the New (Orange)
(1997)		 Days of the New (Green)
(1999)
Singles from Days of the New (1997 album)
  1. "Touch, Peel and Stand"
    Released: January 13, 1998
  2. "The Down Town"
    Released: March 2, 1998
  3. "Shelf in the Room"
    Released: September 6, 1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Robert Christgau C[2]

Days of the New (also known as the Orange or Yellow album) is the debut album of post-grunge band Days of the New, and the first of their three self-titled albums. The album was released in 1997 through Outpost Records.

Production

The band recorded its debut album in October and November 1996 at Woodland Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Drummer Matt Taul was called away from the studio during the sessions for the birth of his daughter, so session drummer Adam Turgeon filled in on some tracks. The last song on the album, "Cling" is actually a home demo that Meeks recorded on a four-track machine. The entire album is acoustic, with emphasis on guitar, and features weak melodies such as "Face of the Earth" and "Freak" as well as more upbeat songs like "The Down Town" and "Where I Stand."

Promotion

Days of the New was a success, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide. Three songs from the album were hits: "Touch, Peel and Stand," "The Down Town," and "Shelf in the Room." "Touch, Peel and Stand" was number one on Billboard's Rock Chart for 17 weeks; "The Down Town" and "Shelf in the Room" were each top 40 hits. Music videos produced for the three singles also found rotation.

Shortly after releasing the album, the band went on tour with Metallica and Jerry Cantrell in 1998. Internal problems became publicly evident, however, and soon after concluding the tour, the band split up. Todd Whitener, Matt Taul and Jesse Vest would go on to form Tantric while Meeks formed a new band under the Days of the New name.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Travis Meeks. 

Tracks
No. Title Length
1. "Shelf in the Room"   4:44
2. "Touch, Peel and Stand"   4:57
3. "Face of the Earth"   5:17
4. "Solitude"   4:11
5. "The Down Town"   4:16
6. "What's Left for Me?"   5:27
7. "Freak"   5:23
8. "Now"   5:04
9. "Whimsical"   6:01
10. "Where I Stand"   5:39
11. "How Do You Know You?"   5:33
12. "Cling"   15:27
Total length:
 72:00

B-Sides

  1. "Independent Slaves" - Appears on the Touch, Peel and Stand single and on the Crow: Salvation soundtrack
  2. "Got to Be You" - Appears on the Touch, Peel and Stand single and on 2 Guitars, Bass & Drums: Songs For Survival
  3. "Special Guide" - Appears on the Shelf In The Room single
  4. "Seasons Change" - Appears on the Half Baked soundtrack
  5. "Two Faces" - Appears on the Varsity Blues soundtrack
  6. "Running Knees" - Appears on the Godzilla soundtrack

Personnel

Days of the New
Additional musicians
  • Adam Turgeon - Drums (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11)
  • Todd Smith - Organ
Artwork
  • Chris Bilheimer - Art direction, illustrations, photography
  • Jim Goldberg - Photography
Production
  • Travis Meeks - Producer
  • Bill Klatt - Producer, engineer
  • Scott Litt - Producer
  • Todd Smith & Chris Stone - Second engineers
  • Blair Wells - Digital editing
  • Bob Ludwig - Mastering
  • James Rosenthal - Mixing
  • Adam Green - Digital editing

Charts

Album
Year Chart Position
1997 Top Heatseekers Charts 1
US Billboard 200 40
1998 Australian Albums Chart 47
New Zealand Albums Chart 1
Singles
Year Song Chart Position
1997 "Touch, Peel and Stand" US Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
US Modern Rock Tracks 6
1998 "Shelf in the Room" US Mainstream Rock Tracks 3
US Modern Rock Tracks 22
"The Down Town" US Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
US Modern Rock Tracks 19

Certifications

Country Certification Sales
United States Platinum[4] 1,000,000+

Days of the New: Live

On December 1, 1998, Outpost released Days of the New: Live, a VHS featuring concert footage and two music videos. The video includes numerous songs that would be released on future Days of the New albums.

Track listing

  1. Fighting with Clay
  2. Freak
  3. Best in Life
  4. Shelf in the Room
  5. The Character/The Threat
  6. Face of the Earth
  7. Special Guide
  8. How Do You Know You?
  9. Touch, Peel and Stand
  10. Bring Yourself
  11. The Down Town
  12. Touch, Peel and Stand (video)
  13. Shelf in the Room (video)

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Consumer Guide
  3. ↑ "Warner Chappell Music". Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  4. ↑ "RIAA certifications". Recording Industry Association of America.