Blackbird | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 5, 2007 | |||
Recorded | February 2007 – May 2007 | |||
Studio | Studio Barbarosa (Bavon, VA) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 59:17 | |||
Label | Universal Republic | |||
Producer | Michael Baskette | |||
Alter Bridge chronology | ||||
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Myles Kennedy chronology | ||||
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Singles from Blackbird | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
411Mania | 9.0/10 [1] [ unreliable source? ] |
AllMusic | [2] |
Bullz-Eye | [3] [ unreliable source? ] |
Hard Rock Hideout | [4] |
The Metal Forge | [5] [ unreliable source? ] |
TuneLab | 9.5/10 [6] [ unreliable source? ] |
Blackbird is the second studio album by American rock band Alter Bridge,released on October 5,2007. The first single,"Rise Today",was released on July 30,2007. The album peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200,selling 47,000 copies in its first week on the charts. [7] As of December 2008,Blackbird has sold 227,000 copies. [8] Despite receiving poor marketing and generally low mainstream success,initial critical reception towards the album was mostly positive,with music critics praising the songwriting and musicianship.[ citation needed ] The album was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry.
The band stated in early 2006 that the song writing process was two thirds complete. [9] On February 8,2007,the band announced that all of the album's songwriting was finished and that they would be entering the studio to begin the recording process for the new record. It was then announced on May 11,2007 (by guitarist Mark Tremonti on www.thealterbridgenation.com),that the recording of the album was complete,the mixing had been finished,and only a few small minor things were still to be done.
On July 23,2007,there was another official press release containing the official release date for the first single from the album,the track listing for the album,and news that tour dates would be released at a later time. Three days later,Alter Bridge uploaded two new songs to their official MySpace page for fans to listen to as a taste of the new album. The songs were "Ties That Bind" and the album's single "Rise Today".
A UK version of the album was released on October 8 with a special UK bonus track titled "We Don't Care at All",a track also found on the iTunes version of the album. There is also a version of the album sold exclusively through Best Buy that contains the two bonus tracks "The Damage Done" and "New Way to Live",and a Walmart version with a bonus DVD containing exclusive interviews and an in-depth look at the making of the album.
Also,prior to the album's official release,Universal Republic Records put up a page of e-cards on their main home page on August 24,2007,which contained the then-unreleased "Before Tomorrow Comes","Watch Over You","Buried Alive",and "Come to Life". They were then removed on Saturday,August 25,as their discovery resulted in many fans accessing them in a short period of time. Their online availability appears to have been a mistake on Universal's part,but it could also have been a unique marketing strategy.
On March 19,2009,the band released a tablature book for the album,containing the tablature sheet music for every song on the album.
While a large majority of the songs on One Day Remains were written before Myles Kennedy came on board,this time around it was a collaborative effort with Tremonti and Kennedy sharing the songwriting duties,while all four band members worked on the arrangements. All four members have songwriting credits on the album.
In "Wayward One",the melody of the verse is based on the theme of the Bourrée in E minor (Suite BWV996) of J. S. Bach.
Alter Bridge left Wind-Up Records in 2006 due to Wind-Up pressing for a Creed reunion,which,in fact,actually later happened (all of Alter Bridge's members excluding Kennedy are also members of Creed),and subsequently signed to Universal Republic Records. The band's second label change occurred in 2010;Blackbird's follow-up, AB III ,was released on Roadrunner Records worldwide,with the exception of North America where it was self-released via Capitol Records. The band dropped their contract with Universal Republic likely due to the way the label handled the release of Alter Bridge's 2009 live album/DVD Live from Amsterdam .
"Rise Today" was the first single from the album. It was officially released on July 30,2007. The music video of "Rise Today" was released on Yahoo! on October 4,2007. It was also made available for download on iTunes on July 31,2007.
The single received a release date in the UK set for October 15,on both CD and 7" Picturedisc. [10]
At their concert on October 30,2007 in Dallas,Texas,the group recorded a live music video for a future single,"Ties That Bind". It was later announced that "Ties That Bind" would be released as a single in the UK and Europe and that the video would be used to promote that single. On January 2,2008,it was announced that "Watch Over You" would be the second single from Blackbird. There is also currently a duet version of "Watch Over You" featuring Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil found on the band's MySpace. "Watch Over You" was featured in promos and during the season finale of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew . The second version of the music video aired on VH1 containing clips from the show. "Before Tomorrow Comes" was released as the fourth and final single off the album in April 2008,and the third to be released in the United States.
Blackbird was met with critical acclaim upon its release. It debuted at number 37 on the UK Albums Chart,and at number 2 on the UK Rock Album Chart. In the US,it debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200 chart and number 4 on the Billboard Rock Albums chart,selling about 47,000 copies in its first week [11] and 227,000 copies by 2008. [8]
All tracks are written by Alter Bridge
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Ties That Bind" | 3:19 |
2. | "Come to Life" | 3:51 |
3. | "Brand New Start" | 4:54 |
4. | "Buried Alive" | 4:35 |
5. | "Coming Home" | 4:19 |
6. | "Before Tomorrow Comes" | 4:06 |
7. | "Rise Today" | 4:21 |
8. | "Blackbird" | 7:58 |
9. | "One by One" | 4:20 |
10. | "Watch Over You" | 4:19 |
11. | "Break Me Down" | 3:56 |
12. | "White Knuckles" | 4:24 |
13. | "Wayward One" | 4:47 |
Total length: | 59:17 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "We Don't Care at All" | 3:42 |
Total length: | 62:59 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "The Damage Done" | 3:45 |
15. | "New Way to Live" | 5:40 |
Total length: | 68:42 |
|
|
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
---|---|
Austrian Albums Chart [13] | 64 |
Dutch Albums Chart [14] | 55 |
German Albums Chart [15] | 55 |
Scottish Album Chart [16] | 38 |
Swiss Albums Chart [17] | 83 |
Swedish Albums Chart [18] | 56 |
US Billboard 200 [19] | 13 |
US Top Rock Albums [20] | 4 |
UK Album Chart [21] | 37 |
UK Rock Album Chart [22] | 2 |
Year | Title | US Main | US Alt [23] | UK Rock | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | "Rise Today" | 3 | 32 | 3 | ||
2008 | "Ties That Bind" [a] | — | — | 3 | ||
"Watch Over You" | 19 | — | — | |||
"Before Tomorrow Comes" | 29 | — | — | |||
"—" denotes the single failed to chart, was not released, or was not certified. | ||||||
^ a "Ties That Bind" was only released as a single in the United Kingdom.
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [24] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Release date | Label |
---|---|---|
Ireland | October 5, 2007 | Universal Republic |
United Kingdom | October 8, 2007 | |
United States | October 9, 2007 | |
Australia | October 20, 2007 | |
Japan | December 4, 2007 |
Come To Life, Ties That Bind, and Buried Alive were played at a live event in 2006 along with an early version of the Blackbird cover.
Weathered is the third studio album by American rock band Creed, released on November 20, 2001. It was the last Creed album to be released until Full Circle came out in October 2009, with Creed disbanding in June 2004. It is the only Creed album to be recorded as a three-member band, as bassist Brian Marshall departed in August 2000. Vocalist Scott Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti wrote most of the material for the album during a three-week period in late 2000, following their successful tour to support their second album, Human Clay. Manager Jeff Hanson once again paired the band with longtime producer John Kurzweg, who rented out a private residence/recording studio in Ocoee, Florida owned by Jay Stanley, where the band would set up their studio inside to record the album. Recording sessions for the album began in July 2001, with Tremonti taking on bass guitar duties in Marshall's absence, and would last four months to complete.
Alter Bridge is an American rock band from Orlando, Florida. The band was formed in 2004 by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. After their former band Creed became inactive in 2003, Tremonti and Phillips formed a new band with former bandmate Marshall and new member Kennedy; Alter Bridge was formally unveiled in January 2004, months before Creed's official breakup in June.
Mark Thomas Tremonti is an American guitarist and singer, best known for his tenures with the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands, and has also collaborated with many other artists over the years. He formed his own band Tremonti in 2011 and has released five albums with them, including A Dying Machine, which was adapted by Tremonti and science fiction novelist John Shirley.
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"Rise Today" is a song by American rock band Alter Bridge. Written by lead guitarist Mark Tremonti and lead vocalist Myles Kennedy, it was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette and appeared on the band's 2007 second studio album Blackbird. The track was released as the lead single from the album on July 31, 2007, peaking at number 3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
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The discography of Alter Bridge, an American rock band, includes seven studio albums, four live albums, one box set, one extended play (EP), 26 singles, two video albums and 14 music videos. Formed in Orlando, Florida, in 2004, Alter Bridge consists of Myles Kennedy and former Creed members Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips. The band released its debut album One Day Remains in 2004, which reached number 5 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. Two of the three singles from the album – "Open Your Eyes" and "Find the Real" – reached the top ten of the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
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