Natural Selection (Fuel album)

Natural Selection
Studio album by Fuel
Released September 23, 2003
Recorded April 2002-July 2003 in Atlanta
Genre Hard rock, alternative metal, post-grunge
Length 50:39
Label Epic
Producer Michael Beinhorn, Carl Bell
Fuel chronology
Something Like Human
(2000)Something Like Human2000		 Natural Selection
(2003)		 The Best of Fuel
(2005)The Best of Fuel2005
Singles from Natural Selection
  1. "Won't Back Down"
    Released: January 14, 2003
  2. "Falls on Me"
    Released: July 22, 2003
  3. "Million Miles"
    Released: December 16, 2003

Natural Selection is Fuel's third album, released in 2003 on Epic Records. It features generally the same style as heard on the band's previous two efforts but didn't manage to match their commercial success.

Preceding the album's release "Won't Back Down" was featured as the lead single of the film soundtrack Daredevil: The Album. "Falls on Me" served as the first single of Natural Selection and received much airplay on MTV throughout the summer. The album also had a third marginally successful single in "Million Miles". The song Quarter was featured in the Need for Speed: Underground, NFL Street, and NASCAR Thunder 2004.

Background

Following the multi-platinum success of their previous album Something Like Human, Fuel had some setbacks to overcome before they could begin recording the album that became Natural Selection. First off, the band had to resolve some pressing legal matters which prohibited them from recording.[1]

Medical problems also inhibited the recording of the album. In 1998, singer Brett Scallions collided on stage with guitarist–songwriter Carl Bell during the band's Sunburn tour. This left Scallions with a deviated septum that required medical attention. Scallions relearned how to sing after losing his voice during the surgery: "I think I basically had to relearn how to sing... I had to recondition myself and figure out how to sing again."[2]

Bell expressed confidence in Natural Selection, stating "The record is, I think, far and beyond any of the other records we've had as a body of work."[3] Producer Michael Beinhorn has stated that Natural Selection is one of his favorite albums that he's produced.[4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

Natural Selection debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 album chart,[7] selling about 71,000 copies in its first week of release.[8] The album was later nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004 for best engineered album.[9]

Aftermath

Natural Selection would prove to be the final Fuel album to feature drummer Kevin Miller and Scallions on vocals. Miller was fired from the band in 2004, and Scallions left in 2006, stating that "... there was no fun in [making the album] because there was no activity within the band."[10] Scallions' feelings of lack of group activity along with Bell's feelings of Scallions vocal troubles led to Scallions' eventual departure from the group.[11] Fuel would release their next album with a new drummer and lead vocalist, and later Scallions reformed Fuel in 2010.

Track listing

All songs written by Carl Bell, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Quarter" 3:39
2."Down Inside of You" 4:07
3."Million Miles" 3:51
4."Falls on Me" 4:13
5."These Things" 4:57
6."Won't Back Down" (Bring You Hell Remix) 3:23
7."Running Away" 4:54
8."Most of All" 4:13
9."Getting Thru?" 4:09
10."Die Like This" 4:29
11."Luck"Brett Scallions4:15
12."Days With You" 4:29
Total length:50:39

Personnel

Band
Production

References

  1. ↑ Davis, Darren. "Fuel Rehearsing For New Recording". Yahoo! Music. October 23, 2002.
  2. ↑ Author Unknown. "Fuel Vocalist Sings Again After Surgery". Yahoo! Music. October 16, 2003.
  3. ↑ Author Unknown. "Fuel Guitarist Says New Album Is Best 'Selection' Of Songs Yet". Yahoo! Music. September 20, 2003.
  4. ↑ Ryan. "Reflecting on Soundgarden's Superunknown". Alternative Addiction. March 5, 2014.
  5. ↑ Allmusic review
  6. ↑ Rolling Stone review at the Wayback Machine (archived February 6, 2008)
  7. ↑ "Billboard Album Chart History". Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  8. ↑ Martens, Todd. "OutKast Leads Nine New Top-20 Chart Entries". boston.com. Oct 1, 2003.
  9. ↑ "Complete List Of 2004 Grammy Nominations".
  10. ↑ Chad. "Brett Scallions Tells his Story". Alternative Addiction. August 5, 2007.
  11. ↑ Chad. "Carl Bell of Fuel Speaks Out" Alternative Addiction. July 21, 2007.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.