West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is the third studio album by British indie rock[1] rock band Kasabian, which was released on 5 June 2009.
The album was nominated for the 2009 Mercury Prize. In October 2009, it was voted the best album of the year by Q Magazine.
[edit] History
"Vlad the Impaler" was made available as a free download from the official website from 31 March to 3 April 2009. The first proper, physical release from the album was "Fire", which was released on 1 June.[2] Sergio Pizzorno has called the 52-minute album "the soundtrack to an imaginary movie."[3] The album includes a duet, on the track "West Ryder Silver Bullet", with the actress Rosario Dawson.[3] The album entered the UK Album Chart at #1, giving the band their second #1 album. The album was knocked off the number 1 spot – and somewhat overshadowed – by the death of Michael Jackson a short time after release.[4] "Underdog" has been used by Sony in a commercial for their BRAVIA Televisions.[5]
The West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum was a group of mental institutions built in West Yorkshire, England in the 1880s. Sergio Pizzorno further explained the choice of album title: "The album isn't about the place, I just first heard about it on a TV documentary, and the words just struck me. I love the way it looked and the feeling it evokes. Apparently, it was one of the first loony bins for the poor, before that it was mainly rich people who got treatment."[6] The album cover depicts the band "getting dressed up for a party at the asylum, looking in the mirror at the costumes". Inspiration for such cover originated from the artwork of Amon Düül II's album Made in Germany.[6] In an interview with T4, the band said that each track is meant to represent an inmate within the asylum.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written and composed by Sergio Pizzorno, except where noted.
| 1. |
"Underdog" |
4:37 |
| 2. |
"Where Did All the Love Go?" |
4:17 |
| 3. |
"Swarfiga" |
2:18 |
| 4. |
"Fast Fuse" |
4:10 |
| 5. |
"Take Aim" |
5:23 |
| 6. |
"Thick as Thieves" |
3:06 |
| 7. |
"West Ryder Silver Bullet" |
5:15 |
| 8. |
"Vlad the Impaler" |
4:44 |
| 9. |
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Roll the Dice" |
3:33 |
| 10. |
"Secret Alphabets" (Pizzorno, Helmut Zacharias) |
5:07 |
| 11. |
"Fire" |
4:13 |
| 12. |
"Happiness" |
5:16 |
| 13. |
"Runaway (live)" |
4:09 |
| 14. |
"Cunny Grope Lane" |
3:12 |
| 15. |
"Road Kill Café" |
2:39 |
| 1. |
"Shoot the Runner" (live at iTunes Festival) |
|
| 2. |
"Empire" (live at iTunes Festival) |
|
| 3. |
"Stuntman" (live at iTunes Festival) |
|
| 4. |
"The Doberman" (live at iTunes Festival) |
|
| 5. |
"Club Foot" (live at iTunes Festival) |
|
| 6. |
"L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)" (live at iTunes Festival) |
|
| 1. |
"Processed Beats" (Live from the Little Noise Sessions) |
4:05 |
| 2. |
"Black Whistler" (Live from the Little Noise Sessions) |
4:00 |
| 3. |
"I.D." (Live from the Little Noise Sessions) |
3:59 |
| 4. |
"Me Plus One" (Live from the Little Noise Sessions) |
3:06 |
| 5. |
"The Doberman" (Live from the Little Noise Sessions) |
5:12 |
| 6. |
"Runaway" (Live from the Little Noise Sessions) |
3:45 |
| 7. |
"Thick as Thieves" (Live from the Royal Albert Hall for Teenage Cancer Trust) |
3:26 |
| 8. |
"Fast Fuse" (Live from the Royal Albert Hall for Teenage Cancer Trust) |
4:06 |
| 9. |
"Club Foot" (Live from the Royal Albert Hall for Teenage Cancer Trust) |
4:44 |
| 10. |
"L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)" (Live from the Royal Albert Hall for Teenage Cancer Trust) |
7:21 |
| 11. |
"Vlad the Impaler" (Video) |
|
| 12. |
"Vlad the Impaler" (The Making Of) |
|
| 13. |
"Fire" (Music film) |
|
[edit] Personnel
- Tom Meighan – lead vocals (all tracks except "Swarfiga", "Take Aim", "Secret Alphabets" and "Happiness")
- Sergio Pizzorno – lead guitar, backing vocals (all tracks except "Swarfiga", "Take Aim", "Secret Alphabets" and "Happiness"), lead vocals on "Take Aim", "Secret Alphabets" and "Happiness"
- Chris Edwards – bass guitar
- Ian Matthews – drums
- Additional Personnel
- Jay Mehler – additional guitar on "Underdog", "Ladies and Gentlemen (Roll The Dice)" and "Happiness"
- Tim Carter – additional guitar, keyboards and percussion on "Where Did All The Love Go?", "Take Aim", "West Ryder Silver Bullet" and "Secret Alphabets"
- Daniel Ralph Martin – additional guitar on "Fast Fuse" and additional piano on "Happiness"
- Rosario Dawson – lead vocals on "West Ryder Silver Bullet"
- Ben Kealey – additional keyboards on "Ladies and Gentlemen (Roll The Dice)"
[edit] Chart performance
[edit] Singles and videos
- "Fast Fuse" – Released on 2 October 2007 as a bootleg single. Although not being the first official single from the album it was the first material released from it, receiving airplay on Xfm, Absolute Radio and being posted on YouTube. Members of Kasabian's fan club at the time could buy the song on a one sided 10". Despite receiving some airplay and a limited release it never had a video. It was also used on the video game FIFA 09. As well as this, the song was used as the theme tune for Russell Howard's Good News, broadcast on BBC3 in the UK.
- "Vlad the Impaler" – Released as a free single on 31 March 2009 to 3 April 2009. The song only got minor airplay. The song was released with a video featuring Noel Fielding. Later released on 14 February 2010 with a second music video to accompany it.
- "Fire" – Released as the first official single on June 1.
- "Where Did All the Love Go?" – Released on 17 August 2009, the song was the second official single charting at 30 in the UK charts. A music video has been released to support the single.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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| Studio albums |
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| Live albums |
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| Extended plays |
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| Related articles |
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