Velociraptor!

Studio album by Kasabian

Released

16 September 2011

Recorded

November 2010 – March 2011 in Leicester, England

Genre

Length

50:38

Label

Producer

Kasabian chronology

West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
(2009)

Velociraptor!
(2011)

48:13
(2014)

Singles from Velociraptor!

"Days Are Forgotten"
Released: 12 August 2011
"Re-Wired"
Released: 21 October 2011
"Goodbye Kiss"
Released: 20 February 2012
"Man of Simple Pleasures"
Released: 7 May 2012

Velociraptor! is the fourth studio album by English rock^[1] band Kasabian, released on 16 September 2011. The album has been described as expanding upon the neo-psychedelic feel of their previous album West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum with a stronger emphasis on experimental song structures and instrumentation. It was released to critical acclaim and became their third UK number-one album, its lead single "Days Are Forgotten", first released in Belgium on 12 August, and in the United Kingdom on 9 September 2011 - debuted at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart.

Miscellany

"Switchblade Smiles" was made available as a free download to anybody who pre-ordered the album from the band's official website store from 7 June 2011. The track is also available as a free download on the band's fanpage on Facebook.

Q magazine listed "Re-Wired" as the number 1 track to download in their October 2011 issue.

The album cover is an edited picture of all four band members covered in feathers (as Velociraptors were traditionally feathery) and screaming, edited from the "Switchblade Smiles" music video.^[2] Music videos for "Days Are Forgotten", "Re-Wired", "Goodbye Kiss", "Man of Simple Pleasures" and "Neon Noon" were also produced and released through the band's Vevo page on YouTube.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100^[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[4]
Consequence of Sound	^[5]
Digital Spy
The Fly
Guardian	^[6]
The Independent
NME	^[7]
Q	^[8]
Slant	^[9]
Daily Telegraph	^[10]
Focus	^[11]

Velociraptor! received critical acclaim and is often considered by fans and critics to be one of the bands strongest albums. On Metacritic, Velociraptor! has the band's highest rating with a score of 79 out of 100 based on 23 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[3] Their previous best album score was 68, held by West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009).^[12]

NME stated that Kasabian have lived up to expectations and believe the album is a huge step up from their previous albums. Antiquiet gave it 4 1/2 stars out of 5 and declared that "Kasabian has found a way to channel everything you love about The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Radiohead while still keeping the unique sound that sets them apart from the contemporaries like Coldplay, Muse and The Killers."^[13]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, selling over 90,000 copies in its first week. In 2011, Velociraptor! sold 279,000 copies in the UK.^[14] With little support from Sony Music, the album failed to chart in the United States.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Sergio Pizzorno.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Let's Roll Just Like We Used To"	4:47
2.	"Days Are Forgotten"	5:02
3.	"Goodbye Kiss"	4:04
4.	"La Fée Verte"	5:47
5.	"Velociraptor!"	2:51
6.	"Acid Turkish Bath (Shelter from the Storm)"	6:01
7.	"I Hear Voices"	3:58
8.	"Re-Wired"	4:44
9.	"Man of Simple Pleasures"	3:51
10.	"Switchblade Smiles"	4:13
11.	"Neon Noon"	5:20

Deluxe Edition Bonus DVD: Live at The O2 Dublin, 27 November 2009
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Julie & The Mothman"
2.	"Underdog"
3.	"Where Did All The Love Go?"
4.	"Swarfiga"
5.	"Shoot The Runner"
6.	"Cutt Off"
7.	"Processed Beats"
8.	"West Ryder Silver Bullet"
9.	"Thick As Thieves"
10.	"Take Aim"
11.	"Empire"
12.	"Last Trip (In Flight)"
13.	"I.D."
14.	"Ladies and Gentlemen (Roll the Dice)"
15.	"Fire"
16.	"Fast Fuse"
17.	"The Doberman"
18.	"Club Foot"
19.	"Vlad The Impaler"
20.	"Stuntman"
21.	"L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)"

Japan Only Bonus Tracks
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Pistols at Dawn"	5:18
13.	"Julie & The Moth Man"	5:39
14.	"Black Whistler"	3:41

Japanese Special Limited Edition Bonus Tracks^[15]
No.	Title	Length
15.	"Velociraptor!" (Live In Leicester)
16.	"Re-Wired" (Live In Leicester)
17.	"Switchblade Smiles" (Live In Leicester)

Super Deluxe Box Bonus Track
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Pistols at Dawn"	5:18

Super Deluxe Box / Japanese Special Limited Edition^[15] Bonus DVD
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Let Roll Just Like We Used To" (Documentary)	24:01
2.	"The Story of the Velociraptor!" (Track by Track Commentary)	15:57
3.	"Velociraptor!" (VEVO Presents: Live in Leicester)
4.	"Days Are Forgotten" (VEVO Presents: Live in Leicester)
5.	"Re-Wired" (VEVO Presents: Live in Leicester)
6.	"Underdog" (VEVO Presents: Live in Leicester)
7.	"Fast Fuse" (VEVO Presents: Live in Leicester)
8.	"Vlad The Impaler" (VEVO Presents: Live in Leicester)
9.	"Switchblade Smiles" (VEVO Presents: Live in Leicester)
10.	"Fire" (VEVO Presents: Live in Leicester)
11.	"Switchblade Smiles" (Video)
12.	"Switchblade Smiles" (Making of)
13.	"Days Are Forgotten" (Video)
14.	"Days Are Forgotten" (Making of)
15.	"Re-Wired" (Video)
16.	"Re-Wired" (Making of)

Italian Special Edition bonus disc — Man Of Simple Pleasures Italian Special EP^[16]^[17]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Man Of Simple Pleasures" (feat. J-Ax)
2.	"Where Did All The Love Go?" (Live in Dublin)
3.	"Shoot The Runner" (Live in Dublin)
4.	"Velociraptor!" (Live in Leicester)
5.	"Re-Wired" (Live in Leicester)
6.	"Switchblade Smiles" (Live in Leicester)
7.	"Julie & The Moth Man"
8.	"Pistols at Dawn"
9.	"Narcotic Farm"

iTunes Store deluxe version bonus tracks^[18]
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Pistols at Dawn"	5:18
13.	"Switchblade Smiles" (Video)	4:16
14.	"Making of Switchblade Smiles"	3:08
15.	"Days Are Forgotten" (Video)	4:08
16.	"Making of Kasabian 'Days Are Forgotten'"	3:29
17.	"Re-Wired" (Video)	4:19
18.	"Making of Re-Wired"	3:41
19.	"The Story of the Velociraptor!"	15:53
20.	"Let Roll Just Like We Used To" (Film)	23:56

Personnel

Kasabian

Tom Meighan – lead vocals (all tracks except 4, 6 and 11), backing vocals (tracks 4, 6 and 11)
Sergio Pizzorno – guitars, backing vocals (all tracks except 4, 6 and 11), lead vocals (tracks 4, 6 and 11), co-lead vocals (track 5), synthesizer, bass guitar, production
Chris Edwards – bass guitar
Ian Matthews – drums

Additional musicians

Jay Mehler – guitar
Sandris Skyrimš – guitar
Tim Carter – guitar, percussion
Ben Kealey – keyboards
Dan Ralph Martin – guitar, percussion (tracks 4 and 9)
Gary Alesbrook – trumpet
Mat Coleman – trombone
Andrew Kinsman – saxophone

London Metropolitan Orchestra – strings
Jessica Dannheisser – orchestration
Andy Brown – conducting

Technical personnel

Dan the Automator – production
Tim Carter, Joe Kearns – engineering
Stephen McLaughlin – production

Aitor Throup – design and art direction
Neil Bedford – photography

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[19]	8
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[20]	17
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[21]	16
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[22]	11
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)^[23]	17
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)^[24]	37
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[25]	32
French Albums (SNEP)^[26]	14
Irish Albums (IRMA)^[27]	2
Italian Albums (FIMI)^[28]	11
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)^[29]	88
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[30]	21
Polish Albums (ZPAV)^[31]	13
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[32]	1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[33]	31
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[34]	10
UK Albums (OCC)^[35]	1
UK Digital Albums (OCC)^[36]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2011)	Position
UK Albums Chart^[37]	37
UK Rock Albums Chart^[38]	7
Chart (2012)	Position
Italian Albums Chart^[39]	66
UK Albums Chart^[40]	98

Certifications


Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Italy (FIMI)^[41]	Gold	30,000^*
Poland (ZPAV)^[42]	Gold	10,000^*
United Kingdom (BPI)^[43]	Platinum	300,000^{^}
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Australia^[44]	16 September 2011	CD, CD/DVD, Digital download	Sony Music
Belgium^[45]
Ireland^[46]
Italy^[47]
United States^[48]
France^[49]	19 September 2011
New Zealand^[50]
United Kingdom^[51]			Columbia Records
Spain^[52]	20 September 2011		Sony Music
Japan^[53]	21 September 2011		Sony Music

References

↑ "Kasabian's Serge: I'm no indie boy". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk.
↑ Kasabian - Switchblade Smiles. YouTube. 15 July 2011.
1 2 "Velociraptor! Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ Jeffries, David (19 September 2011). "Velociraptor! - Kasabian". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
↑ "Album Review: Kasabian – Velociraptor! « Consequence of Sound". Consequenceofsound.net. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
↑ Dave Simpson (15 September 2011). "Kasabian: Velociraptor! – review | Music". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
↑ "NME Album Reviews - Album Review: Kasabian - 'Velociraptor!'". NME. 14 September 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ October 2011, p.114
↑ "Slant review".
↑ McCormick, Neil (15 September 2011). "Kasabian: Velociraptor, CD review". The Daily Telegraph (London).
↑ FOCUS Online (20 September 2011). "Plattenkritik: Kasabian – „Velociraptor!“: Schwachbrüstiger Dinosaurier". FOCUS Online.
↑ "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Kasabian Swing the Talons with 'Velociraptor!'". Antiquiet. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "The Top 20 rock singles and albums of 2011 revealed". The Official Charts Company. 17 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
1 2 "ディスコグラフィ - Sony Music". sonymusic.co.jp.
↑ "Velociraptor! : Kasabian: Amazon.it: Musica". amazon.it.
↑ http://www.discogs.com/Kasabian-Velociraptor/release/5693501
↑ "iTunes - Music - Velociraptor! (Deluxe Version) by Kasabian". iTunes.
↑ "Australiancharts.com – Kasabian – Velociraptor!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Austriancharts.at – Kasabian – Velociraptor!" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Ultratop.be – Kasabian – Velociraptor!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Ultratop.be – Kasabian – Velociraptor!" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Danishcharts.com – Kasabian – Velociraptor!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kasabian – Velociraptor!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Kasabian: Velociraptor" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Lescharts.com – Kasabian – Velociraptor!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 38, 2011". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Italiancharts.com – Kasabian – Velociraptor!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Mexicancharts.com – Kasabian – Velociraptor!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Charts.org.nz – Kasabian – Velociraptor!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "2011-10-01 Top 40 Scottish Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Kasabian – Velociraptor!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "Swisscharts.com – Kasabian – Velociraptor!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "2011-10-01 Top 40 UK Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ "2011-10-01 Top 40 UK Album Downloads Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
↑ http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/UKChartsPlusYE2011.pdf
↑ "The Top 20 rock singles and albums of 2011 revealed". officialcharts.com.
↑ "Top 100 Album Combined - Classifica annuale (dal 2 Gennaio 2012 al 30 Dicembre 2012)" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry / TV Sorrisi e Canzoni. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 January 2013.
↑ http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/UKChartsPlusYE2012.pdf
↑ "Italian album certifications – Kadabian – Velociraptor!" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select Album e Compilation in the field Sezione. Enter Kadabian in the field Filtra. Select 2013 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
↑ "Polish album certifications – Kasabian – Velociraptor!" (in Polish). Polish Producers of Audio and Video (ZPAV).
↑ "British album certifications – Kasabian – Velociraptor!". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Velociraptor! 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
↑ "iTunes - Music - Velociraptor! by Kasabian". Itunes.apple.com. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
↑ "iTunes - Music - Velociraptor! by Kasabian". Itunes.apple.com. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
↑ "iTunes - Music - Velociraptor! by Kasabian". Itunes.apple.com. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
↑ "iTunes - Musica - Velociraptor! di Kasabian". iTunes.
↑ "iTunes - Music - Velociraptor! by Kasabian". iTunes.
↑ "iTunes - Musique - Velociraptor! par Kasabian". Itunes.apple.com. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
↑ "iTunes - Music - Velociraptor! by Kasabian". Itunes.apple.com. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
↑ "iTunes - Music - Velociraptor! by Kasabian". Itunes.apple.com. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
↑ "iTunes - Música - Velociraptor! de Kasabian". Itunes.apple.com. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
↑ "iTunes - ミュージック - Kasabian「Velociraptor!」". iTunes.

Kasabian

Sergio Pizzorno Tom Meighan Chris Edwards Ian Matthews Christopher Karloff

Studio albums	Kasabian (2004) Empire (2006) West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009) Velociraptor! (2011) 48:13 (2014)

Live albums	Live from Brixton Academy Live!

Extended plays	iTunes Live: London Festival '07 Fast Fuse Discover Kasabian West Ryder EP iTunes Live: London Festival '09 iTunes Festival: London 2011

Related articles	Discography Awards Songs

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, February 10, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.