Showing posts with label Alternative Rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alternative Rock. Show all posts
The Killers Album Live from The Royal Albert Hall CD (2009)
Alternative/Rock
1. Human
2. This Is Your Life
3. Somebody Told Me
3. The World We Live In
5. i Can' t Stay
6. Bling (Confession Of A King)
7. Shadowplay
8. Smile Like You Mean It
9. Losing Touch
10. Spaceman
11. A Dustland Farytale
12. Sam's Town
13. Read My Mind
14. Mr. Brightside
15. All These Things That I've Done
16. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
17. When You Were Young
Label : Island records
The Killers Album Sawdust (2007)
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Alternative/Rock
1. Tranquilize
2. Shadowplay
3. All The Pretty Faces
4. Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf
5. Sweet Talk
6. Under The Gun
7. Where The White Boys Dance
8. Show You How
9. Move Away
10. Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll
11. Who Let You Go?
12. The Ballad Of Michael Valentine
13. Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town
14. daddy's Eyes
15. Sam's Town
16. Romeo and Juliet
17. Mr. Brightside
Label : Island records, Vertigo
Producer : Flood, Alan Moulder, Stuart Price
The Killers Album Sam's Town (2006)
Alternative/Rock
1. Sam's Town
2. Enterlude
3. When You Were Young
4. Bling (Confession Of A King)
5. For Reason Unknown
6. Read My Mind
7. Uncle Jonny
8. Bones
9. My List
10. The River Is Wild
11. Why Do I Keep Counting?
12. Exitlude
Label : Island records, Vertigo
Producer : Flood , Alan Moulder
The Killers Album Hot Fuss Limited Edition (2004)
Alternative/Rock
1.Jenny Was A Friends Of Mine
2. Mr. Brightside
3. Smile Like You Mean It
4. Somebody Told Me
5. All These Things That I've Done
6. Andy, You're A Star
7. On Top
8. Change Your Mind
9. Believe Me Natalie
10. Midnight Show
11. Everything Will Be Allright
12. Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll
13. The Ballad Of Michael Valentine
14. Under The Gun
Label : Island records, Universal
Producer : Jeff Saltzman, Brandon Flowers
The Killers Biography
Alternative/Rock
ABOUT :
The Killers is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada that formed in 2001. The band consists of Brandon Flowers (vocals,keyboards), Dave Keuning (guitar, backing vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums,percussion).
An alternative rock band, The Killers draw some of their influences from the music styles of the 1980s. The group's debut album, Hot Fuss (2004) brought the band mainstream success. The Killers' second album, Sam's Town, was released in 2006, and compilation album Sawdust containing B-sides, rarities, and new material, was released in 2007. Their third studio album, Day & Age, produced byStuart Price, was released in 2008.
The band has sold over 5 million albums in the United States, over 4.5 million albums in the United Kingdom and over 15 million worldwide.
Formation (2001–2004)
In 2001, Brandon Flowers was abandoned by his first band, a synthpop band known as Blush Response, after he declined to move with the rest of them to Los Angeles, California. He then met David Keuning after responding to an ad that Keuning had placed in a Vegas newspaper which listed Oasis, The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Depeche Mode, U2, and The Beatles as influences. During The Killers' first year, two different drummers were fired and their original bassist quit. By late 2002 the current rhythm section of Ronnie Vannucci Jr. on Drums and Mark Stoermer as bass guitarist had joined the band. The name "The Killers" comes from the bass drum of a fictional band in the music video for the New Order song "Crystal".
Initially, The Killers played at small clubs in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they often played at drag shows. They began to send demo tapes to major record labels in the US, all the record labels turned them down but the band caught the eye of Alex Gilbert, a British representative for Warner Bros. Though Warner did not like the band, Gilbert took the demo back with him, showing it to friend Ben Durling, who worked at UK indie label Lizard King Records. When label head Martin Heath was asked in an interview with HitQuarters what appealed to him about the band he said, "Great and interesting original-sounding songs. When we met Brandon Flowers for the first time it was very clear to me that he was a major star. He had huge charisma. He completely believed in what he was doing. He just stood out and carried the music." The Killers signed with the British label in July 2003.
On the 19 August 2003 , "Mr. Brightside" premiered on DJ Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show in the UK. The Killers then travelled to London and began to play shows in bars and clubs, the crowds grew every night through word of mouth and critical reviews were extremely positive, soon after returning to the US they were signed by Island Def Jam.
Hot Fuss (2004 - 2006)
The Killers released their album Hot Fuss in June 2004 in the United Kingdom on Marrakesh Records and in the United States on Island Records. Hot Fuss reached Number 1 in the UK and has been classified 6x Platinum by the BPI. It reached the top spot in Australia, where it was certified 3x Platinum, and has also been certified 3x Platinum in the United States and Canada. The band also had chart success with its singles "Mr. Brightside," which reached the Top 10 in the UK and US, "All These Things That I've Done," "Somebody Told Me," and "Smile Like You Mean It."
In July 2005, The Killers performed on the London stage of the Live 8 concert, playing "All These Things That I've Done." Robbie Williamsincorporated the song's refrain "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" into his own performance. Coldplay and U2 followed suit and, at their separate concerts played in Las Vegas, with The Killers in the crowd, incorporated the line into their songs "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" and "Beautiful Day," respectively.
Sam's Town (2006–2007)
The Killers' second album, Sam's Town, was released in October 2006 under Island Def Jam Music Group. Brandon Flowers said thatSam's Town would be "one of the best albums people would remember 20 years from now", though the album received a mixed response from critics and fans. The album sold over 706,000 copies worldwide in the first week of release, with a number two debut on the Billboard chart. The record has been certified 4x Platinum in the United Kingdom and Platinum in the United States. The album produced four singles: "When You Were Young" released in September 2006, "Bones" which was released in November 2006, "Read My Mind" which was released in February 2007, and "For Reasons Unknown" which was released in June 2007.The Killers recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road on November 29, 2006. They performed an almost totally unplugged set, which included a rendition of the Dire Straits hit "Romeo and Juliet". In December 2006 the band released a Christmas charity song, "A Great Big Sled", which benefited Product Red. In February 2007, The Killers attended the BRIT Awards in the United Kingdom, where they performed "When You Were Young". The band won two awards — Best International Group & International Album. In June 2007, The Killers headlined the iconic Glastonbury Festival.
Sawdust (2007–2008)
The band released a compilation album called Sawdust, containing B-sides, rarities, and some new material, in November 2007. Sawdust has been classified Platinum by the BPI. The album's first single "Tranquilize", a collaboration with Lou Reed, was released in October 2007. The album also contains the songs "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", (a Kenny Rogers and The First Edition cover), "Romeo and Juliet", (a Dire Straits cover), and "Daddy's Eyes", a B-side from "Bones"/Best Buy Bonus Track to Sam's Town. The first pressing ofSawdust contained a rare demo version of "Move Away" which Brandon Flowers later stated was a mistake on the part of the band's record label; the proper version the group intended to put on the album was previously available on the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack is included on later pressings of Sawdust. The band released a cover version of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" on the American iTunes Store that same month. In a Rolling Stone magazine article, Sawdust was compared to the classic Smiths album Hatful of Hollow , they also released a second Christmas single titled "Don't Shoot Me Santa" this was again in aid of Product Red.
Day & Age (2008–2010)
In July 2005, The Killers performed on the London stage of the Live 8 concert, playing "All These Things That I've Done." Robbie Williamsincorporated the song's refrain "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" into his own performance. Coldplay and U2 followed suit and, at their separate concerts played in Las Vegas, with The Killers in the crowd, incorporated the line into their songs "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" and "Beautiful Day," respectively.
Sam's Town (2006–2007)
The Killers' second album, Sam's Town, was released in October 2006 under Island Def Jam Music Group. Brandon Flowers said thatSam's Town would be "one of the best albums people would remember 20 years from now", though the album received a mixed response from critics and fans. The album sold over 706,000 copies worldwide in the first week of release, with a number two debut on the Billboard chart. The record has been certified 4x Platinum in the United Kingdom and Platinum in the United States. The album produced four singles: "When You Were Young" released in September 2006, "Bones" which was released in November 2006, "Read My Mind" which was released in February 2007, and "For Reasons Unknown" which was released in June 2007.
The Killers recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road on November 29, 2006. They performed an almost totally unplugged set, which included a rendition of the Dire Straits hit "Romeo and Juliet". In December 2006 the band released a Christmas charity song, "A Great Big Sled", which benefited Product Red. In February 2007, The Killers attended the BRIT Awards in the United Kingdom, where they performed "When You Were Young". The band won two awards — Best International Group & International Album. In June 2007, The Killers headlined the iconic Glastonbury Festival.
Sawdust (2007–2008)
The band released a compilation album called Sawdust, containing B-sides, rarities, and some new material, in November 2007. Sawdust has been classified Platinum by the BPI. The album's first single "Tranquilize", a collaboration with Lou Reed, was released in October 2007. The album also contains the songs "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", (a Kenny Rogers and The First Edition cover), "Romeo and Juliet", (a Dire Straits cover), and "Daddy's Eyes", a B-side from "Bones"/Best Buy Bonus Track to Sam's Town. The first pressing ofSawdust contained a rare demo version of "Move Away" which Brandon Flowers later stated was a mistake on the part of the band's record label; the proper version the group intended to put on the album was previously available on the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack is included on later pressings of Sawdust. The band released a cover version of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" on the American iTunes Store that same month. In a Rolling Stone magazine article, Sawdust was compared to the classic Smiths album Hatful of Hollow , they also released a second Christmas single titled "Don't Shoot Me Santa" this was again in aid of Product Red.
The Killers finished working on a third album, which was released on November 24, 2008 in the UK and November 25, 2008 in North America. Brandon Flowers confirmed the album's title as Day & Age in an interview with NME.[26] They worked with Stuart Price who did the Thin White Duke remix of "Mr Brightside" and produced "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf" and "Sweet Talk". The first single from the album was "Human", although originally planned for Sawdust, it was released on September 22, with the music video released on iTunes on October 16. Day & Age became the band's third studio album to reach number one in both the UK and Ireland, it reached number six on the Billboard 200 album chart. The band released a third Christmas single in December 2008, "Joseph, Better You Than Me". It features Elton John and Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. Proceeds from the downloads will benefit Product Red.
During the summer of 2009 The Killers headlined a number of festivals across Europe including the Friday night show of 2009's Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park, London , they also headlined American festivals Lollapalooza and Coachella for the first time. On July 5–6 at the Royal Albert Hall, London The Killers recorded their first live DVD. It was released in November.
UNICEF, MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) and the US Agency for International Development used a shortened version of the song "Goodnight, Travel Well" in a video to promote awareness of sex trafficking. The Killers also released a Christmas single in December 2009 called "Happy Birthday Guadalupe", and in November 2009 their song "A White Demon Love Song" was added to the New Moon soundtrack.
In late February 2010, The Sun (a British newspaper) published the story that Flowers' mother had died after a two year fight with brain cancer. This meant a premature closing of their Day and Age tour cancelling the Asian dates. Two Australian dates in Sydney and Perth were cancelled, however both the Gold Coast and Melbourne concerts went ahead, with the Day & Age tour finally coming to a close in Melbourne on February 21 as the headline act at the Good Vibrations Festival at Flemington Racecourse.
Hiatus and fourth studio album (2010–present)
In January 2010, the band announced that they will take a short break after being on the road for the better part of six years.
The band, invited by US President Barack Obama, played on the White House South Lawn on July 4, 2010 for the second annual "Salute To The Military" United Service Organizationsconcert as part of Independence Day celebrations, which Flowers described as a "monumental honour". Despite their hiatus, the band got together to play "Human", "Somebody Told Me", "Mr. Brightside", "A Dustland Fairytale", "God Bless America/Read My Mind" and "When You Were Young".
As of June 15, 2010, Flowers has confirmed that The Killers have set a date to return to the studio and work on a follow-up album to Day & Age.
In an interview in August 2010, Brandon Flowers was quoted as saying that he had "saved an ace" in regards to a song he had written for his solo album Flamingo, but later decided he would save it for the next Killers album. In an interview with Zane Lowe for BBC Radio 1, Brandon said The Killers would get back together to work on the next record "as soon as possible in 2011." Also in an interview with Q Magazine, Flowers said he expected the new Killers album to be out around 2012.
Placebo Album Soulmates Never Die (live in paris 2004)
Alternative/Rock/Indie
1. Bulletproof Cupid
2. Allergic (To Thoughts Of Mother Earth)
3. Evey You Every Me
4. Bionic
5. Protege Moi
6. Plasticine
7. The Bitter End
8. Soulmates
9. Black Eyed
10. I'll Be Yours
11. Special Needs
12. English Summer Rain
13. Without You I'm Nothing
14. This Picture
15. Special K
16. Taste In Me
17. Slave To wage
18. Peeping Tom
19. Pure Morning
20. Centerfolds
21. Where Is My Mind?
Label : Hut records
Producer : Done And Dusted
Placebo Album Battle For The Sun (2009)
Alternative/Rock/Indie
1. Kitty Litter
2. Ashtray Heart
3. Battle For The Sun
4. For What Is Worth
5. Devil In The Details
6. Bright Lights
7. Speak In Tongues
8. The Never Ending Why
9. Julien
10. Happy You're Gone
11. Breathe Underwater
12. Come Undone
13. Kings Of Medicine
Label : Virgin records
Producer : David Bottril
Placebo Album Meds (2006)
Alternative/Rock/Indie
1. Meds
2. Infra-red
3. Drag
4. Space Monkey
5. Follow The Cops Back Home
6. Post Blue
7. Because i Want You
8. Blind
9. Pierrot The Clown
10. Broken Promise
11. One Of A Kind
12. In The Cold Light Of Morning
13. Song To Say Goodbye
Label : Virgin records
Producer : Dimitri Tikovoi
Placebo Album Once More With Feeling (2004)
Alternative/Rock/Indie
1. 36 Degrees
2. Teenage Angst
3. Nancy Boy
4. Bruise Pristine
5. Pure Morning
6. You Don't Care About Us
7. Every You Every Me
8. Without You I'm Nothing
9. Taste In Me
10. Slave To The Wage
11. Special K
12. Black Eyed
13. The Bitter End
14. This Picture
15. Special Needs
16. Ebnglish Summer Rain
17. Protege-Moi
18. I Do
19. Twenty Years
20. Where Is My Mind?
Placebo Album Sleeping With Ghost (2003)
Alternative/Rock/Indie
1. Bulletproof Cupid
2. English Summer Rain
3. This Picture
4. Sleeping With Ghost
5. The Bitter End
6. Something Rotten
7. Plasticine
8. Special Needs
9. I'll Be Yours
10. Second Sight
11. Protect Me From What I Want
12. Centerfolds
Label : Virgin records
Producer : Jim Abbiss
Placebo Album Black Market Music (2000)
Alternative/Rock/Indie
1. Taste In Men
2. Days Before You Came
3. Special K
4. Spite & Malice (feat Justin Warfield)
5. Passive Agressive
6. Black Eyed
7. Blue American
8. Slave To The Wage
9. Commercial For Levi
10. Haemoglobin
11. Narcoleptic
12. Peeping Tom
Label : Virgin records
Producer : Paul Corkett
Placebo Album Without You I'm Nothing (1998)
Alternative/Rock/Indie
Website
1. Pure Morning
2. Brick Shithouse
3. You Don't Care About Us
4. Ask For Answer
5. Without You I'm Nothing
6. Allergic (To Thoughts Of Mother Erath)
7. The Crawl
8. Every You Every Me
9. My sweet Prince
10. Summer's Gone
11. Scared Of Girls
12. Burger Queen
Label : Virgin records
Producer : Steve Osborne
Placebo Biography
Alternative /Rock/Indie
ABOUT :
Placebo are a British alternative rock band formed in London in 1994, currently consisting of Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal and Steve Forrest. To date, they have released six studio albums, six EPs and twenty-nine singles. The band have gained a considerable amount of international recognition, selling over one million albums in the UK and over ten million worldwide.
Placebo are best known for hit songs such as "Nancy Boy", "Pure Morning", "Every You Every Me", "Infra-Red", a cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill", and "For What It's Worth". Their style has varied greatly. The band's first album featured a raw sound and a fairly minimalistic instrumental lineup, but proceeding albums have had a slower, more melancholic tone, and they started experimenting with synthesizers and other, less traditional, forms of sound production (particularly after Black Market Music).
The band have gained some measure of notoriety for the sexualities of its members (Olsdal is gay, Forrest is straight and Molko is bisexual) as well as for their excessive lifestyles and Molko's androgynous image, which are often referred to in their songs.
Formation (1994-1996)
Placebo were formed by singer/guitarist Brian Molko and bassist Stefan Olsdal. Earlier, both had attended the American International School of Luxembourg, but didn't cross paths properly until 1994 in London, England. At the time, Olsdal was taking guitar lessons and was on his way home, when he met Molko at the South Kensington tube station. Molko, observing that Olsdal had a guitar strapped to his back, invited Olsdal to watch him perform at a local bar. On the strength of Molko's performance, Olsdal decided that they should start a band. The two formed Ashtray Heart, a lo-fi duo, playing mostly on toy instruments. They wrote four songs, but decided to try out as a serious band and started to scout for a drummer.
Originally, the two were unable to decide on a drummer. Molko had some experience playing with Steve Hewitt, making him the ideal choice. However, Hewitt had prior commitments to the London band Breed, and only had time to play on occasional demos with Molko and Olsdal. This led Robert Schultzberg to assume the position of drummer when the band signed its contract with Caroline Records. Schultzberg had known Olsdal from boarding school in Sigtuna, Sweden as well as from an earlier Swedish band (Elevating Addiction) which they had both been members of.
As to the name "Placebo", Olsdal remarked in an MTV interview that it was chosen because of its Latin origins; “placebo” literally translates from Latin as “I will please". Frequently in interviews, Molko has stated that the name is a satirical reflection of the 1990s cliche of naming one's band after a drug, though Olsdal claims this was not the original motivation for naming the band "Placebo". When asked about naming a band, Molko said:
It’s a complex question to answer, really. As musicians you try to find a name for your band that represents you and you never really do, because, basically, names for bands lose their meaning after a while. They become a series of sounds that you associate with people in music. The most important thing for a name is that you can imagine forty-thousand people screaming it in unison.
Debut album, lineup change and glam connection (1996-1998)
Placebo's self titled debut album was released 16 July 1996 and was a major success, peaking at five on the UK Albums Charts at the height of the Britpop era. Placebo featured ten tracks (eleven including the hidden bonus track "Hong Kong Farewell"), their most popular being Nancy Boy. In 1998, Q Magazine readers voted the Placebo album the 87th greatest of all time. The band remastered and reissued the album on 18 September 2006 for its tenth anniversary.
Tension with Schultzberg began to rise. The band initially let him go in September 1995, but he was rehired to record the first seven inch single "Bruise Pristine". After an argument in August 1996, right before doing their first TV show, Molko decided that it would be best for the band if Schultzberg left. But Schultzberg suggested playing together until they finished the promotion of their first album, Placebo, and the band accepted.
Eventually, Schultzberg did indeed leave the band in September 1996, on a United States tour. Before going on stage for their first show in New York state, Olsdal informed Schultzberg that he wasn't going on the tour in Germany that was following the US one. At the manager’s request, Schultzberg did two more shows with the band in Paris after the US tour, the last of which was a performance on “Nulle Part Aillleurs”. Molko has said that he was "tired of being the focus of Robert’s rages against the world." While Schultzberg was with the band, several early works were recorded including their first 7" single "Bruise Pristine", the "Come Home" EP, the single version of "Nancy Boy" with B-sides "Slackerbitch", "Miss Moneypenny", "Bigmouth Strikes Again" and their eponymous debut album. On the track "I Know", Schultzberg played didgeridoo as well as drums. His departure left many fans disappointed, because the band switched to a softer sound in the proceeding albums. In the same year, however, they were able to convince Hewitt to return to Placebo as their full-time drummer. Molko remembers: “Even at the beginning, Robert and I couldn’t be in the same room with each other without wanting to be violent."
In early 1996, Placebo opened several concerts for David Bowie in Italy, France, and Switzerland as part of his Outside Tour after he had only heard one of their demos. Bowie also invited the trio to play at his 50th birthday at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1997. The party also included luminaries such as Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Robert Smithof the The Cure, and Lou Reed.
The band's glam connections continued. In 1998, Placebo recorded a cover of T.Rex's "20th Century Boy" for the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack. The band also had minor roles in the film. Bowie made a special appearance on-stage with Placebo during a tour stop in New York. A version of the song "Without You I'm Nothing", which originally appeared on the album with the same name, featured a duet containing both Molko and Bowie. Placebo played "20th Century Boy" live with David Bowie at the BRIT Awards show in 1999.
Without You I'm Nothing and Black Market Music (1998-2003)
In 1998, Placebo switched to the major label Virgin Records, and issued their album Without You I'm Nothing in November. It was another large seller in England and initially appeared to be the group's breakthrough in the US market, where MTV embraced the album's lead single "Pure Morning", but subsequent singles and videos failed to match the success of its predecessor.The first two singles from Without You I'm Nothing, "You Don't Care About Us" and "Pure Morning", were the peak of their British success, both charting in the top ten. Since Without You I'm Nothing, the band have received less positive coverage from the British music press who, on occasion, have mocked the perceived pretension of front-man Molko. However, the band has retained a huge popular and critical following in continental Europe. By way of their English-accented fluent French front-man, France has become their first target market in Europe, which has led to them gaining a huge popularity there, even in excess of their British fan base.
The band's third release, Black Market Music, added hip-hop and disco elements to their tense rock sound. The UK saw a release date of October 2000; US fans were treated to a re-sequenced version that autumn. The US version featured a slightly different track listing, adding the aforementioned Bowie version of "Without You I'm Nothing" and the band's cover of Depeche Mode's "I Feel You". The recording spawned additional UK hits such as "Taste in Men" and "Slave to the Wage".
Placebo encountered resistance from the British music industry upon release of the single "Special K" due to its reference of a ketamine high as a simile for love. The song was released in Australia as a single before eventually being made available in the UK as an EP featuring the B-sides and remixes that would have filled out a conventional two-disc single release. At the time the band claimed this was due to dissatisfaction with the two-disc single format, a claim somewhat undermined by their subsequent single releases all being made available in two-CD formats accompanied by a 7" vinyl.
Their style altered little from Placebo to Black Market Music, based around fairly straightforward guitar playing, often influenced by the style of 1970s British and American rock, and Molko's high-pitched vocals. The first single for the album, "Taste in Men", was one of their most popular, with a trance synthesiser in the background and wailing distorted guitars.Black Market Music did not receive the same level of long term recognition and media hype as Without You I'm Nothing did, but its peak sales outperformed those of its predecessor, in both the UK and France.
Sleeping With Ghosts and Once More With Feeling (2003-2006)
In spring 2003, Placebo showcased a harder edge with the release of their fourth album, Sleeping with Ghosts. The album went to number 11 in the UK and sold 1.4 million copies worldwide. Australian tour dates with Elbow and UK shows with Har Mar Superstar followed in 2004. Sleeping with Ghosts was more adventurous than Black Market Music, because it experimented with dance tunes, electronic music and a less rocky—more polished—guitar sound, though it kept the traditional sound for several songs, including the first single "The Bitter End".
In autumn of 2004, Placebo's singles collection, Once More with Feeling: Singles 1996-2004 was released (on both CD and as a DVD featuring the band's videos). The nineteen song compilation included their biggest UK hits and the new track "Twenty Years".
That same year, they played a one-night-only gig at Wembley Arena. In which, Robert Smith of The Cure made a guest appearance on two tracks, "Without You I'm Nothing" and a cover of the Cure's "Boys Don't Cry". This performance was to be their last UK gig until 2006. After the Wembley gig, Placebo went on a short Once More With Feeling tour in South America. On 2 July 2005, the group performed "Twenty Years" and "The Bitter End" at the Live 8 concert, at the Palais de Versailles in France (see Live 8 concert, Paris). Their 2006 tour of the UK sold out in one weekend.
There was a bit of controversy while the band was on their promotional South American Tour. As revealed on the Once More With Feeling DVD Extras, whilst on tour in South America, Placebo and Limp Bizkit played on the same evening. Trouble occurred when Placebo's manager would not let Fred Durst on stage as he did not recognise him and thought he was simply a fan trying to get an autograph. After eventually getting on stage, Durst began the chant "Placebo sucks". Later, Placebo's roadie Adam Okrasinski was charged with aggravated battery when he allegedly punched a member of Durst's entourage in an altercation that took place after the show between members of both band's camps. Charges were later dropped in lieu of community service.
Meds and lineup change (2006-2009)
In September 2005, the band finished the recording phase of Meds which was released 13 March (delayed in the US until 4 April). The first single on the new album to be released in the UK was "Because I Want You". "Song To Say Goodbye" was the first international single (released simultaneously with "Because I Want You"). The album was remastered from October to January. Two songs, recorded on the album, feature duets with American singers: "Meds" with Alison Mosshart of The Kills and "Broken Promise" with Michael Stipe of R.E.M.. Frenchman Dimitri Tikovoi (Goldfrapp, the Cranes) who mixed select songs on Once More with Feeling, produced Placebo's fifth effort. The band has stated that the album is an attempt to capture the feel of a first album, though the album has not forgotten many of the techniques used in their previous ones.
Meds was leaked over the Internet on 17 January 2006. The official release date of Meds was 13 March 2006, making the leak almost two months early. It was projected by the band's record label to potentially cause a very dangerous loss of profit upon the album's release. Nevertheless in most countries the album debuted relatively well, at #4 in Australia and #7 in the UK. The second single from Meds was "Infra-Red". It was released on 19 June 2006 in the UK.
In 2006, Placebo switched labels in the US to Astralwerks and re-released several revisions of their earlier works. In October their debut album Placebo was digitally remastered and re-released with the title "10th Anniversary Collectors Edition"; the box set also includes a DVD containing music videos, concerts and TV performances. Three additional songs: "UNEEDMEMORETHANINEEDU", "Lazarus", and "Running Up That Hill" were added to the US Version of Meds (and the song "In The Cold Light of Morning" was taken off of the album).
Placebo joined Linkin Park and various other acts for 2007's Projekt: Revolution tour. The tour is an annual event and, in 2007, Linkin Park decided to make the tour green by donating $1 of every ticket to American Forests through their charity Music for Relief.
In 2007, after the tour "Projekt: Revolution" had been scheduled, Virgin released the Extended Play '07 EP as a simple introduction for new fans to the band's past decade of music. The compilation features eight songs, namely: "Nancy Boy", "Every You Every Me", "Taste In Men", "The Bitter End", "Meds", "Pure Morning", "Infra-Red" and the cover "Running Up That Hill".
On 1 October 2007, Steven Hewitt left Placebo. Brian Molko commented "Being in a band is very much like being in a marriage, and in couples—in this case a triple—people can grow apart over the years. To say that you don't love your partner anymore is inaccurate, considering all that you've been through and achieved together. There simply comes a point when you realise that you want different things from your relationship and that you can no longer live under the same roof, so to speak." In mid-2008, the band acquired new drummer Steve Forrest.
Molko gave two performances in 2008. The first was in late October, when he performed on the Serge Gainsbourg tribute show that was recorded and posted on the Internet; this was the only video of any Placebo member since Projekt Revolution ended in 2007. The second was with the rest of the band, when they gave one live performance in 2008, as part of an MTV Europe Foundation event, a campaign against human trafficking held in Angkor Wat in December 2008.
Placebo left EMI in 2008, but the label plans to release the complete Placebo recordings including all the studio albums, DVDs and B-Sides. Released on 8 June 2009 it holds ten discs.
Battle for the Sun (2009-present)
In January 2009, Placebo confirmed that they had finished working on the follow-up to 2006's Meds and planned to release it in June 2009. The full track list was announced on the band's website in March 2009. The album, Battle for the Sun, is the first to feature new drummer Steve Forrest. It was released on 8 June 2009, through the PIAS Entertainment Group. The album was recorded in Toronto, Canada, with producer David Bottrill.
The album's title track "Battle for the Sun" debuted on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on 17 March 2009. Subsequently, it became available for free download on the band's official website. On the same day, they played a secret concert in London, performing some of the material from the album, including the tracks ‘Ashtray Heart’, ‘Julien’, ‘Kitty Litter’, ‘Speak in Tongues’ and ‘Devil in the Details’. In their review for the gig, Rock Sound wrote that the new album is a heavier-sounding record compared to its predecessorMeds, and recalls the atmosphere of ‘Without You I’m Nothing’. There are also string arrangements present on the new tracks.
The first single, "For What It's Worth", made its radio debut on 20 April 2009. It became available for download on iTunes and emusic from 12:00am GMT on 21 April 2009, and the video for the single premiered on Myspace at the same time. It was physically released on 1 June 2009.
In May 2009, Placebo went on to perform three concerts in the United Kingdom, at relatively intimate venues in Sheffield, Bournemouth and London, before departing to the 2009 summer festival season in Europe and Asia. Unveiling the new album with a full track-by-track rundown, Molko told the Scottish News of the World's A-Listed magazine: "It feels like a new beginning...we're reinvigorated, refreshed and ready to take on the world."
On 13 May 2009, the band's official website, "Placeboworld", was launched in a revamped version with more interactive features and an online shop. From 29 to 31 May 2009, Placebo streamed the new album on their official website. Fans signed up for the official mailing list received a unique code for logging in to 5 listenings of the album in its entirety.
In July 2009, Placebo - "Every You Every Me" was voted #83 in Triple J Hottest 100 of all time, voted by the Australian public.
On 5 November 2009, Placebo won the MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Alternative.
In December 2009, Placebo released iTunes Live: London Festival '09, a live album recorded at the iTunes Festival at The Roundhouse, Camden, on 14 July 2009. The album contains 19 live songs and a digital booklet. It is only currently available through the iTunes Store.
Following the summer festival season (and a cancellation of the American tour), Placebo went on a series of arena-sized concerts across Europe, in October-December 2009. That leg of the tour culminated in a concert in London's O2 Arena which was Placebo's largest gig ever in the United Kingdom. In February-April 2010, they toured Southeast Asia, Australia and South America.
The current leg of the tour has seen Placebo play Israel and Lebanon. It is yet unclear whether this is the last leg of the tour or, alternatively, whether it will extend into 2011.
In early 2010, World Wrestling Entertainment used "Running Up That Hill" in their promotional videos to hype it's main event for WrestleMania XXVI, a hugely anticipated re-match between WWE's two longest-tenured stars, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. The music video, with clips of each wrestler set to Placebo's cover of the song, is considered by wrestling fans to be one of the greatest music videos ever produced to hype a match.
MEMBERS :
Current Members :
- Brian Molko (Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard,Harmonica 1994 - Present)
- Stefan Olsdal (Bass , Backing Vocals 1994 - Present)
- Steve Forest (Drums, Percussions , Backing Vocals 2008 - Present)
Former Members :
- Steve Hewitt ( drums , Percussion 1994,1996 - present)
- Robert Schultzberg (Drums, Percussions 1994 - 1996)
