Thefakesoundofprogress is the debut studio album by the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, originally released on 27 November 2000 through Visible Noise, the album would be released in 2001 by Columbia Records and meeting stronger sales numbers around the world. The band began work on the album in 2000 after finding the suitable bass player in the band.
The album peaked at number 186 on the Billboard 200 selling over 120 thousand copies in the United States alone and reached high positions on charts worldwide. Two singles were released from the album: "Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja" and "The Fake Sound of Progress", these singles helped Lostprophets reach mainstream popularity. In 2001, the album was certified gold by the BPI in the United Kingdom. In 2010, the album was certified platinum by the BPI in the United Kingdom.
Recording
Much of the album was made up of old demos that only took two weeks to make.[2] Many of these demos came from the The Fake Sound of Progress EP. Songs like "MOAC Supreme" became "A Thousand Apologies" and "Directions" was used as a B-side for their debut single "Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja". Because of the albums short recording process, they didn't think it truly reflected their abilities as a band.[3] This is why they called their second studio album Start Something, as they felt it better reflected their music abilities.[3]
The album was recorded in one week for around £4000, and while originally intended as a demo went on to be released on Visible Noise Records.[4] When the band signed to Columbia Records in 2001 it was partly re-recorded, remixed and re-released (notably combining many of the between track interludes into the end of songs, shortening the tracklisting) much to the chagrin of fans of the earlier release.[4] Furthermore, the title track of the album, in addition to being partially re-recorded, was sped up significantly. This re-released version of the album was released in 2001 in the UK and US respectively.[5] The re-released remastered album was produced by famous producer Michael Barbiero.[6]
Release
The album didn't initially receive much attention, but following the re-release, remastering and the release of the first single from the album, "Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja" 26 September 2001 the album entered the Billboard 200 chart later that year and would rechart in Britain. On Friday 1 March 2002 the album was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and on Friday 26 April 2002 the album was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry again.[7][8] According to Rolling Stone Magazine the album has sold more than 120 thousand copies in the United States and 250 thousand copies in the United Kingdom.[3][9]
At the end of April 2002, Thefakesoundofprogress reached it peak at 186 on the Billboard 200, 13 on the Top Heatseekers, 9 on the Top Heatseekers West North Central and 8 on the Top Heatseekers Mountain chart in the United States. The album first charted on the UK Albums Chart at 116 in 2001, in 2002 it peaked at its peak position 44 and after the release of Start Something in 2004 the album re-charted and peaked at 166.[10] Two singles were released from, the album the debut single was "Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja" which peaked at 33 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. The follow-up single "The Fake Sound of Progress" peaked at 21 on the UK Singles chart without charting abroad.[11]
Reception
Professional ratings |
Review scores |
Source |
Rating |
Allmusic |
[12] |
NME |
positive[13] |
Panorama |
[14] |
When released, the album was met with mixed reviews by music critics. Allmusic reviewer Brian O'Neil gave the album two out of five stars and said that "the only redeeming quality is the great production by Michael Barbiero, that allows all instruments to be heard perfectly in all their ennui-inducing glory, proving that no matter how much you polish up a turd, it's still a turd."[12] Ben Rayner from Drowned in Sound however gave the album 10 out of 10 stars and quoted "in the world of Lost Prophets it's very easy to find something different with every listen with their non-chaotic but well textured tunes."[15] NME reviewer John Mulvey called the album "weirdly impressive", while no stars were given the album got a positive review.[13] The album would also meet with glansing reviews from the music publishers Panorama.
Tour
After the release of the album Lostprophets went on a tour in Europe and America.[5] Before the release of "Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja" the band went on a brief tour with the fellow British rock band Muse. They toured Austria and Germany together from 21–27 October 2001.[16] The band would also tour for the NME Carling Awards Tour which featured dates in the London Astoria among others.[17] They built up a strong live following with support slots to popular acts like Linkin Park, Deftones as well as several headlining stints of their own.[4] They also took part in the successful Nu-Titans tour with Defenestration and other famous British metal bands. The band subsequently toured on the Irish leg of Ozzfest, where they toured with famous acts such as System of a Down, Slayer among others.[18] They had also played at the Glastonbury and the Reading and Leeds Festivals.[4] In 2002 the band headlined the Deconstruction festival in Finsbury Park, London on 3 June 2002, supporting acts was Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Mad Caddies among others well known artists.[19] In October 2002 Lostprophets returned to the UK for a tour visiting big cities such as Glasgow, Manchester and London.[20]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Ian Watkins, all music composed by Lostprophets.
|
|
1. |
"Obscure Intro" |
0:25 |
2. |
"Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja" |
2:47 |
3. |
"The Fake Sound of Progress" |
6:19 |
4. |
"Interlude" |
0:47 |
5. |
"Five Is a Four Letter Word" |
4:26 |
6. |
"...And She Told Me to Leave" |
5:05 |
7. |
"Interlude" |
0:59 |
8. |
"Kobrakai" |
5:33 |
9. |
"The Handsome Life of Swing" |
2:40 |
10. |
"Interlude" |
1:13 |
11. |
"A Thousand Apologies" |
4:06 |
12. |
"Still Laughing" |
4:13 |
13. |
"Interlude" |
1:35 |
14. |
"For Sure" |
4:20 |
15. |
"Awkward" |
4:24 |
16. |
"Ode to Summer" |
3:20 |
Total length: |
49:32 |
|
|
|
|
1. |
"Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja" |
2:47 |
2. |
"The Fake Sound of Progress" |
5:32 |
3. |
"Five Is a Four Letter Word" |
4:24 |
4. |
"...And She Told Me to Leave" |
5:55 |
5. |
"Kobrakai" |
5:33 |
6. |
"The Handsome Life of Swing" |
3:49 |
7. |
"A Thousand Apologies" |
4:06 |
8. |
"Still Laughing" |
5:43 |
9. |
"For Sure" |
4:20 |
10. |
"Awkward" |
4:24 |
11. |
"Ode to Summer" |
3:15 |
Total length: |
47:48 |
|
|
|
12. |
"The Lesson Pt. 1" (b-side from Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja CD single) |
3:12 |
13. |
"Directions" (b-side from Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja CD single) |
4:55 |
Total length: |
55:15 |
|
|
Personnel
- 2000 original
|
- 2001 remaster
- Ian Watkins – lead vocals
- Jamie Oliver – synth, turntables, samples, vocals
- Lee Gaze – lead guitar
- Mike Lewis – rhythm guitar
- Stuart Richardson – bass guitar
- Mike Chiplin – drums, percussion
|
Chart positions
Albums
Singles
Release history
Year |
Region |
Date |
Format |
Label |
Catalogue # |
Notes |
|
2000 |
United Kingdom |
13 November |
CD |
Visible Noise |
TORMENT5CD |
Promo copies list track 1 as "Intro" and list the tracks in the wrong order.[27] |
[28] |
2001 |
United Kingdom |
8 October |
CD |
Visible Noise |
TORMENT10CD |
Re-release |
[29] |
2001 |
United States |
4 December |
CD |
Columbia |
CK 85955 |
Re-release |
[30] |
2002 |
Japan |
22 January |
CD |
Epic |
30 |
Re-release version, features the two bonus tracks. |
[31] |
2003 |
United Kingdom |
23 February |
12" Vinyl |
Visible Noise |
TORMENT10LP |
Track listing features shorter titles. |
[32] |
Footnotes
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| | | Studio albums and singles | |
---|
| Extended plays |
- Here Comes the Party
- Para Todas las Putas Celosas
- The Fake Sound of Progress (EP)
|
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| Other songs | |
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| Related | |
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