Awake (Godsmack album)

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Awake
Studio album by Godsmack
Released October 31, 2000
Recorded River's Edge Productions Inc., Haverhill, Massachusetts
Genre Heavy metal, alternative metal
Length 45:36
Label Republic/Universal
Producer Sully Erna, Mudrock
Godsmack chronology
Godsmack
(1998)
Awake
(2000)
Faceless
(2003)

Awake is the second studio album by heavy metal band Godsmack, released on October 31, 2000. It features the song "Goin' Down", which first appeared on the band's first studio recording All Wound Up. This was the only Godsmack album to feature drummer Tommy Stewart.

Since the mid 2000s, the songs "Sick of Life" and "Awake" have been extensively used for the United States Navy's "Accelerate Your Life" commercials.[1]

Contents

[edit] Recording

The band opted to convert a warehouse in Haverhill into a makeshift studio, rather than use a more traditional studio setting. According to Sully Erna, the band just didn't want to move into any luxurious studio, because they wanted to keep the edge on for writing and "not get too far away from what we're all about". So they just stayed in the slums rather than moving into luxury.[2]

Erna says the results show in the music's "tougher" sound, however it has a very raw edge to it. It's not very polished," he says. "But it still has a lot of good grooves, and it still has a lot of power."[2]

The band also kept in touch with its roots by working some older unreleased material. The album includes older songs that just missed being on the debut. "Goin' Down" is a track from the original Godsmack album that was dropped in favor of "Whatever" for the major-label release. The songs "Bad Magick" and the instrumental "Vampires" also date back to the same period.[2]

[edit] Release

Awake debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, selling 256,000 copies in its first week,[3] and the album would go on to sell over two million copies in the United States.[4]

Since its release, the album's title track dominated rock radio and broke chart records throughout 2000 and 2001. The album's instrumental track "Vampires" earned the band its first Grammy nomination.[5] And "Greed" earned the band Boston Music Awards nominations for single and video of the year.[6]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars[7]
Rolling Stone 2/5 stars[8]
Q 4/5 stars
(6/01, p.106)

[edit] Track listing

All lyrics written by Sully Erna, except where noted. 

No. Title Music Length
1. "Sick of Life"   Erna 3:52
2. "Awake"   Erna 5:04
3. "Greed"   Erna 3:28
4. "Bad Magick"   Erna 4:14
5. "Goin' Down"   Erna, Tony Rombola, Robbie Merrill 3:22
6. "Mistakes"   Erna, Rombola 5:58
7. "Trippin'"   Erna, Rombola 4:55
8. "Forgive Me"   Erna 4:19
9. "Vampires" (instrumental, contains dialogue from television show Mysterious Forces Beyond) Erna, Merrill 3:45
10. "The Journey" (instrumental) Erna, Rombola 0:49
11. "Spiral"   Erna, Rombola 5:34
Total length:
45:36
Japanese bonus tracks
No. Title Writer(s) Length
12. "Why"   Erna 3:15
13. "Sweet Leaf" (Black Sabbath cover) Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward 4:55

[edit] Personnel

Godsmack
Additional performances
  • Katrina Chester - vocals on "The Journey" and "Spiral"
Production

[edit] Chart positions

Album
Chart (2000) Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart[9] 26
German Albums Chart[10] 59
New Zealand Albums Chart[11] 38
Canadian Albums Chart[3] 9
The Billboard 200[3] 5
Singles
Year Song Chart Peak
position
2000 "Awake" Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
Alternative Songs[12] 6
2001 "Bad Magick" Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 3
Alternative Songs[12] 28
"Greed" Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 3
Alternative Songs[12] 28

[edit] Certification

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[13] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[14] 2× Platinum 2,500,000[15]

^shipments figures based on certification alone

[edit] Release details

Country Date Label
United States October 31, 2000 Uptown/Universal
Japan March 23, 2001 Universal International

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Sully Erna Visits Showbiz Tonight". rockdirt.com. 2006-05-13. http://rockdirt.com/sully-erna-visits-showbiz-tonight/18209/. 
  2. ^ a b c "Godsmack Keeps Alt Metal 'Awake'". Billboard.com. 2000-11-01. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1314607. 
  3. ^ a b c "Godsmack–Artist chart history". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=277923&model.vnuAlbumId=773648. Retrieved 2007-11-06. 
  4. ^ "Godsmack Is 'Awake' At #5". Yahoo! Music. 2000-11-09. http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12026560. Retrieved 2008-12-10. 
  5. ^ "Ken Phillips Publicity Group - Godsmack". Ken Phillips Publicity Group. 2006-07-11. http://www.kenphillipsgroup.com/Phillips/godsmack.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-10. 
  6. ^ "Godsmack Delivers 'Smack This!' DVD". Billboard.com. 2002-03-28. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1449954. 
  7. ^ "Awake - Godsmack". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r505718. 
  8. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/godsmack/albums/album/272323/review/6067953/awaker[dead link]
  9. ^ "Godsmack - Awake". austriancharts.at. http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Godsmack&titel=Awake&cat=a. 
  10. ^ "Charverfolgung / Godsmack / Longplay" (in German). PhonoNet. http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Godsmack/?type=longplay. 
  11. ^ "Godsmack - Awake". charts.org.nz. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Godsmack&titel=Awake&cat=a. 
  12. ^ a b c "Godsmack Alternative Songs Chart History". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/godsmack/chart-history/277923?f=377&g=Singles. 
  13. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Godsmack – Awake". Music Canada. http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=Awake&sa=Godsmack&smt=0. 
  14. ^ "American album certifications – Godsmack – Awake". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Awake%22.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  15. ^ "Universal Republic Community | Biography". universalrepublic.com. http://www.universalrepublic.com/community/artist/bio.aspx?mid=329428. Retrieved 15 October 2011. 
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