A Beautiful Lie

A Beautiful Lie
Studio album by Thirty Seconds to Mars
Released August 30, 2005 (2005-08-30)
Recorded 2004–2005
Studio
  • Pulse Recording (Los Angeles, CA)
  • The Laboratory (Los Angeles, CA)
  • The Center for the Advancement of the Arts and Sciences of Sound (Alaska)
  • Lionshead Studios (South Africa)
  • Circle in the Square Studio (New York City)
Genre Alternative rock
Length 56:09
Label
Producer
Thirty Seconds to Mars chronology
30 Seconds to Mars
(2002)30 Seconds to Mars2002		 A Beautiful Lie
(2005)		 AOL Sessions Undercover
(2007)AOL Sessions Undercover2007
Singles from A Beautiful Lie
  1. "Attack"
    Released: May 3, 2005
  2. "The Kill"
    Released: January 24, 2006
  3. "From Yesterday"
    Released: November 7, 2006
  4. "A Beautiful Lie"
    Released: December 17, 2007

A Beautiful Lie is the second album by American alternative rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. It was released on August 30, 2005 through Virgin Records and was produced by Josh Abraham. The album produced four singles, "Attack", "The Kill", "From Yesterday", and "A Beautiful Lie"; of which three of those four singles managed to chart within the top 30 on the US Modern Rock chart, with "The Kill" and "From Yesterday" entering the top three. A Beautiful Lie received positive reviews from music critics, many praising the album for the band's new sound from their debut album. The success of the album had helped the band receive accolades for their singles such as "The Kill" and "From Yesterday".

A Beautiful Lie differs notably from the band's self-titled debut album, both musically and lyrically. Whereas the eponymous concept album's lyrics focus on human struggle and astronomical themes, A Beautiful Lie's lyrics are "personal and less cerebral".[1] Additionally, this was the first and only album to feature bassist Matt Wachter, who left the band in 2007.[2]

History

A Beautiful Lie was recorded on four different continents in five different countries over a three-year period to accommodate lead singer Jared Leto's acting career. The album's title track, as well as three other songs, were composed in Cape Town, South Africa, where Leto was later met by his bandmates to work on the tracks. It was during this time that Leto conceived the album's title.[3] Prior to this, the album was tentatively to be released under the title Battle of One. It was leaked onto peer-to-peer file sharing networks almost five months before its scheduled release; the version of the album that leaked was unmastered. Because of this, the band was forced to set back the album's release date.[1]

To promote A Beautiful Lie, Thirty Seconds to Mars included the songs "Battle of One" and "Hunter" (originally performed by Björk) as bonus tracks. "Golden passes" were also included with three of the special versions of the album that entitled the buyer free entrance and backstage access to any Thirty Seconds to Mars show for the rest of their formation.

A Beautiful Lie sold 21,000 copies in its first week of release in the US and has gone on to sell more than 1.2 million copies in the US alone.[4]

Alternative versions

Deluxe edition

On November 26, 2006 a special edition of A Beautiful Lie was released and features different artwork, a third bonus track (all versions have at least two); the UK version of the song "The Kill" entitled "The Kill (Rebirth)", and a DVD that features the music video for "The Kill", the making of the video for "The Kill", live performances and MTV2 moments involving the band.

Before production of the Deluxe Edition, the band requested that the members of the "Echelon" send in their names so that they could be thanked for their support over the years. As a result, the inside cover(s) of the Deluxe Edition contain a large list of printed fan names. In addition to this, the front cover contains a lenticular image consisting of the Mithra (phoenix) and the Trinity (skulls).

2007 re-release

A Beautiful Lie was re-released on November 26, 2007, following extensive touring throughout Europe, in an attempt to expose themselves to a larger audience. The re-release is essentially the same as the original release, although includes different artwork. The album was re-released in Ireland again in November 2007, the version contains the UK version of "The Kill" and a second bonus track, and an acoustic version of the song "A Beautiful Lie" recorded live on a radio session.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Alternative Addiction[6]
Billboardfavorable[7]
Kerrang![8]
Melodic[9]
Revolver4/5[10]
Rock Sound6/10[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
San Francisco Chronicle[13]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[14]

A Beautiful Lie received generally positive reviews from music critics.[15] Jon Wiederhorn from Revolver noted that "intensity and passion clearly inform the textural hard rock of A Beautiful Lie," which "boasts echoing riffs, moody bass lines, and strong vocal melodies that evoke a radio-friendly mix of Staind, Nine Inch Nails, U2, and The Cure."[10] Jaan Uhelszki of the San Francisco Chronicle described the album as "full of ferocious electronics, overcaffeinated guitar lines and anxious drumming paired with brainy, brittle but emotionally austere lyrics."[13] Nylon magazine called it "an album that is digestible without losing the rough-around-the-edges appeal that the band's rapidly expanding fan base crave."[16] Alternative Addiction commented that the band recorded "an album with a handful of very impressive tracks," beginning with "Attack", the first song on the record, which "soars sonically with processing mixed and forceful vocals."[6]

Christa L. Titus from Billboard felt that the band "proved its potency" with songs like "The Kill", "Was It a Dream?", and "From Yesterday", and praised Leto's vocal ability by writing, "[he] alternates between cathartic shouts and a tantalizing croon that shows his capable vocal range."[7] Kaj Roth from Melodic praised the sonic variety and summarized the record as "an impressive list of anthemic rock songs."[9] Davey Boy of Sputnikmusic echoed this sentiment, writing that A Beautiful Lie "works well as an album due to greater variety".[14] He also found the record "a more controlled effort" than the band's debut album 30 Seconds to Mars (2002).[14] Kerrang! magazine called it a "great album to close your eyes and fall in to, an anthemic eruption of upfront emotion."[8]

In a mixed review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic wrote that the "band floats out of time, inspired heavily by '90s alt rock but too clean, heavy, and facile to truly be part of that tradition, yet too indebted to the past to sound like part of the 2000s, either."[5] He found the band "capable enough at shifting from tense quiet verses to piledriving, heavy choruses, but they borrow the worst habits from all their favorite groups, and then assemble them in insufferably earnest fashion, playing clichés as if they were revelations."[5] Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone stated, "[d]espite some credible modern-rock tunes, Leto's self-involved myopia guarantees that his band's second disc is long on melodrama."[12]

Accolades

At the Billboard Music Awards, "The Kill" and "From Yesterday" were nominated in the category of Modern Rock Single of the Year in 2006 and 2007, respectively.[17][18] In 2007, A Beautiful Lie was named Best Album by Rock on Request.[19] Thirty Seconds to Mars received the Kerrang! Award for Best Single in two consecutive years for "The Kill" and "From Yesterday" in 2007 and 2008.[20][21] Metal Edge ranked A Beautiful Lie one of the top 10 albums of 2005.[16] Melodic included it among the best albums of the year.[22] Alternative Addiction ranked it at number six on their list of 20 best albums of the year.[23] In 2009, Kerrang! listed A Beautiful Lie at number four on their list of the 50 best albums of the decade.[24] The album was included in Rock Sound's 101 Modern Classics list at number 78.[25]

Track listing

All tracks written by Jared Leto, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Attack" 3:09
2."A Beautiful Lie" 4:05
3."The Kill" 3:51
4."Was It a Dream?" 4:15
5."The Fantasy" 4:29
6."Savior"Thirty Seconds to Mars3:24
7."From Yesterday"Thirty Seconds to Mars4:07
8."The Story" 3:55
9."R-Evolve" 3:59
10."A Modern Myth" (includes hidden track "Praying for a Riot") 14:14
Hidden tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Battle of One"Thirty Seconds to Mars2:47
12."Hunter"Björk Guðmundsdóttir3:54
Total length:56:09

Bonus tracks

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from A Beautiful Lie album liner notes.[26]

Thirty Seconds to Mars

Additional musicians

  • Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – viola on track 10
  • Caroline Campbell – violin on track 10
  • Steve Dress – strings contractor and double bass on track 10
  • Vanessa Freebairn-Smith – cello on track 10
  • Oliver Goldstein – additional synthesizer on tracks 1, 6–7
  • Neel Hammond – violin on track 10
  • Wataru Hokoyama – string arranger on track 10
  • Jeremy Rubolino – programming on track 12
  • Matt Serletic – piano on track 3

Production

  • Josh Abraham – production on tracks 1–10
  • Thirty Seconds to Mars – production; creative direction and design
  • Brian Virtue – production on tracks 3, 11–12; additional engineering; mixing and engineering on tracks 11–12
  • Ryan Williams – engineering; mixing
  • Brandon Belsky – assistant engineer
  • Tom Lord-Alge – mixing on track 1
  • Femio Hernandez – mixing assistant
  • Dave Riley – assistant engineer
  • Sean Geyer – assistant engineer
  • Brian Gardner – mastering
  • Sean Mosher-Smith – creative direction and design
  • Olaf Heine – photography
  • Gary Stiffelman – legal
  • Irving Azoff – management
  • Dian Vaughn – business management

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2005–11) Peak
position
scope="row" Australian Albums (ARIA)[27] 20
scope="row" Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[28] 10
scope="row" Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[29] 96
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[30] 35
scope="row" Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[31] 31
scope="row" Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[32] 15
scope="row" French Albums (SNEP)[33] 87
scope="row" German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[34] 30
Greek Albums (IFPI)[27] 40
scope="row" Irish Albums (IRMA)[35] 76
Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)[36] 8
scope="row" Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[37] 20
scope="row" New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[38] 20
scope="row" Portuguese Albums (AFP)[39] 23
scope="row" Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[40] 49
scope="row" UK Albums (OCC)[41] 38
US Billboard 200[42] 36
US Rock Albums (Billboard)[43] 9

Year-end charts

Chart (2006) Position
US Billboard 200[44] 184
Chart (2007) Position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[45] 72
Italian Albums (FIMI)[46] 63
US Billboard 200[47] 84
US Rock Albums (Billboard)[48] 20

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[49] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[50] Gold 50,000^
Germany (BVMI)[51] Gold 100,000^
Italy (FIMI)[52] Platinum 80,000*
South Africa (RiSA)[52] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[54] Platinum 1,200,000[55]

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

Release history

Region Date Format Label
United States[56] August 30, 2005 CD, LP, digital download Immortal, Virgin
Canada[57] EMI
Japan[58] December 7, 2005 CD, digital download
Australia[59] November 11, 2006 CD, digital download Virgin, EMI
Italy[60] February 14, 2007 CD, digital download EMI
Austria[61] February 15, 2007
Germany[62]
Netherlands[63] February 16, 2007
United Kingdom[64] February 26, 2007 CD, LP, digital download Virgin
New Zealand[65] March 27, 2007 CD, digital download EMI

References

  1. 1 2 Redmon, Jess (May 2002). "30 Seconds to Mars: Welcome to their universe". Shoutweb.com: On the Record. Archived from the original on 2005-03-05. Retrieved 2006-04-06.
  2. ↑ Pascarella, Tony (March 5, 2007). "Matt Wachter Leaves 30 Seconds to Mars". AbsolutePunk. Buzz Media. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ "30 Seconds To Mars Official Site". Archived from the original on 17 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  4. ↑ Graff, Gary. "30 Seconds To Mars Plans to 'Extend the Interactivity' On Tour". billboard.com. December 17, 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "A Beautiful Lie – Thirty Seconds to Mars". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Review of A Beautiful Lie by 30 Seconds to Mars". Alternative Addiction. August 24, 2005. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Titus, Christa L. (November 11, 2006). "A Beautiful Lie". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 118 (45): 82.
  8. 1 2 "A Beautiful Lie". Kerrang!. Bauer Media Group (1146): 49. February 17, 2007.
  9. 1 2 Roth, Kaj. "Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie". Melodic. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Wiederhorn, Jon (October 2005). "A Beautiful Lie". Revolver. NewBay Media: 96.
  11. ↑ "A Beautiful Lie". Rock Sound (94): 88. March 2007.
  12. 1 2 Hoard, Christian (September 8, 2005). "A Beautiful Lie: 30 Seconds To Mars". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  13. 1 2 Uhelszki, Jaan (August 28, 2005). "A Beautiful Lie". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 Boy, Davey (May 31, 2008). "Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  15. ↑ "30 Seconds to Mars at the Fillmore tonight". Denver Daily News. November 14, 2006. Archived from the original on August 24, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  16. 1 2 Lichtenstein, Julie; Zamot, Tracy. "30 Seconds to Mars Embark on Their First Ever National Headlining Tour". Marketwired. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  17. ↑ "The 2006 Billboard Music Awards Finalists Announced". MovieWeb. November 30, 2006. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  18. ↑ "2007 Year End Charts – Alternative Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  19. ↑ "2007 Top In Rock Awards". Rock on Request. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  20. ↑ Fletcher, Alex (August 24, 2007). "Kerrang Awards 2007: The Winners". Digital Spy. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  21. ↑ Paine, Andre (August 21, 2008). "30 Seconds To Mars Wins Two Kerrang! Awards". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Best of 2005". Melodic. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Top 20 Albums of 2005". Alternative Addiction. Archived from the original on May 9, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  24. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of the 21st Century". Kerrang!. Bauer Consumer Media (1273): 14. August 5, 2009.
  25. ↑ "Rock Sound’s 101 Modern Classics: 101 - 75". Rock Sound Magazine. June 27, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  26. ↑ A Beautiful Lie (booklet). Thirty Seconds to Mars. Virgin Records. 2005. 90992.
  27. 1 2 "Australiancharts.com – Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Top 50 Prodejní" (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Thirty Seconds to Mars: A Beautiful Lie" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  33. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Thirty Seconds to Mars". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Classifiche della 32° settimana del 2007 (dal 04/08/2007 al 10/08/2007)". Musica e dischi (in Italian) (711): 6. September 2007. Archived from the original on August 18, 2007.
  37. ↑ "Mexicancharts.com – Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  38. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  39. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  40. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  41. ↑ "30 Seconds to Mars | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  42. ↑ "A Beautiful Lie – Awards". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  43. ↑ "Top Rock Albums: A Beautiful Lie". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  44. ↑ "2006 Year End Charts – Top Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  45. ↑ "Jahreshitparade 2007". Austriancharts.at (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  46. ↑ "Classifica annuale 2007" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  47. ↑ "2007 Year End Charts – Top Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  48. ↑ "30 Seconds to Mars: Rock Albums (Year end)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  49. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  50. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – 30 Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie". Music Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  51. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (30 Seconds to Mars; 'A Beautiful Lie')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  52. 1 2 Bennett, J. (December 2009). "30 Seconds to Mars: Life During Wartime". Rock Sound (129): 53.
  53. ↑ "British album certifications – 30 Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 31, 2014. Enter A Beautiful Lie in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  54. ↑ "American album certifications – 30 Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 31, 2014. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  55. ↑ Graff, Gary (December 17, 2009). "30 Seconds To Mars Plans To 'Extend The Interactivity' On Tour". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  56. ↑ "A Beautiful Lie". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  57. ↑ "A Beautiful Lie". EMI Music Canada. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  58. ↑ 「ア・ビューティフル・ライ」 サーティー・セカンズ・トゥ・マーズ (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  59. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Issue 871 (Week Commencing 13 October 2006)" (PDF). National Library of Australia. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  60. ↑ "A Beautiful Lie" (in Italian). Amazon.com. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  61. ↑ "A Beautiful Lie" (in German). EMI Music Austria. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  62. ↑ "A Beautiful Lie" (in German). EMI Music Germany. Archived from the original on March 7, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  63. ↑ "A Beautiful Lie" (in Dutch). Bol.com. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  64. ↑ "A Beautiful Lie". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  65. ↑ "A Beautiful Lie". Marbecks. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
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