Youth & Young Manhood

Youth & Young Manhood
Studio album by Kings of Leon
Released July 7, 2003 (UK)
August 19, 2003 (US)
Recorded 2002–2003 at Shangri-La in Malibu; Sound City in Van Nuys; House of Blues in Memphis; Ocean Way and Groundstar in Nashville
Genre Garage rock, Southern rock
Length 46:01
Label RCA/HandMeDown
Producer Ethan Johns, Angelo Petraglia
Kings of Leon chronology

What I Saw
(2003)		 Youth & Young Manhood
(2003)		 Aha Shake Heartbreak
(2004)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [1]
BBC (outstanding)[2]
Blender [3]
The Guardian [4]
Pitchfork 4.2/10[5]
Robert Christgau [6]
Uncut Aug 2003, p110
XFM (favorable)[7]

Youth & Young Manhood is the debut album from American rock band Kings of Leon, released on July 7, 2003, in the United Kingdom and on August 19, 2003, in the United State. The title was taken from a drawing of the family tree of Moses, found on the inside of one of their Pentecostal preaching father's Bibles. Each branch contained a line that the band was quoted as saying could easily have passed for an album title. Youth and Young Manhood, however, seemed fitting and was quickly agreed upon by all members.

Recording and release

The album was recorded between Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, Shangri-La Studios in Malibu and Ocean Way Nashville.[8] "Molly's Chambers," "Wasted Time" and "California Waiting" were all released as singles. "Spiral Staircase" featured on the PS3 game MotorStorm. "Red Morning Light" was also featured on a Ford Focus commercial, and as the opening song in FIFA 2004 by EA Sports. "Holy Roller Novocaine" was featured in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby as well as on the soundtrack.

Reception

Critical reception was generally favorable, as the album received a score of 79 from Metacritic.[9] Many appreciated the band's punk and garage rock-influenced revival of the southern rock genre, with NME hailing the album among the "best debuts of the past 10 years." AllMusic claimed the album wasn't "sonically adventurous" but that "some greasy licks sure sound good."[10] The Village Voice called the album "2003's finest rock debut," saying the band had built off of its first EP.[11] Rolling Stone declared that the band knew "when to lay back and let things simmer" as well as "when to jump up and testify with tambourines banging" in a favorable review.[12] Rolling Stone critics named it the 10th-best album of 2003 and NME named it the seventh best.[13][14]

The album peaked at number 3 in the United Kingdom, but fared worse in the band's homeland, peaking outside the top hundred. The band's popularity exploded in Australia during the weeks of the 22nd and 29 September 2008, when all four of the band's studio albums reached the top 50.Youth and Young Manhood making its first top 50 chart appearance since its release in 2003, peaking at number 46. The album sold more than 940,000 copies worldwide, and was ranked at #80 in Rolling Stone's Top 100 Albums of the Decade.[15]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Caleb Followill, Nathan Followill and Angelo Petraglia, except "Trani" by Matthew Followill. 

No. Title Length
1. "Red Morning Light"   3:00
2. "Happy Alone"   3:59
3. "Wasted Time"   2:46
4. "Joe's Head"   3:21
5. "Trani"   5:00
6. "California Waiting"   3:28
7. "Spiral Staircase"   2:55
8. "Molly's Chambers"   2:15
9. "Genius"   2:48
10. "Dusty"   4:21
11. "Holy Roller Novocaine"   3:56
12. "Talihina Sky (Hidden Track)" (starts at 8:22) 3:47
13. "Wicker Chair" (Bonus Track but also appeared on Holy Roller Novocaine LP) 3:08

Personnel

Singles

Charts and certifications

Charts

Year Country Position
2004 Ireland 18
United Kingdom 3
United States 113
2008 Australia 46
2009 Australia 46

Certifications

Region Provider Certification
Australia ARIA 3× Platinum[16]
United Kingdom BPI 2× Platinum[17]

References