Jump to content

Underclass Hero

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 174.227.196.130 (talk) at 15:55, 6 July 2013 (Undid revision 563085125 by Flat Out (talk)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the album. For the song, see Underclass Hero (song).
Untitled

Underclass Hero is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band, Sum 41. It is the only record that was released with only three members in the band, since Dave Baksh left a year early to focus on Brown Brigade. The album was first released July 18, 2007 in Japan. It was released under the Island Records label and distributed worldwide by Universal Records, and in Canada by Aquarius Records. The album cover features a photo with singer Deryck Whibley spitting. This album features more alternative rock songs than their previous albums. Despite mixed reviews, the album gained success on the Canadian and on the United States album charts, peaking at #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart and at #7 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

Background

It was the first new material to be released without former guitarist Dave Baksh. The album title's similarity to John Lennon's hit "Working Class Hero" is not a coincidence, according to the band's front man Deryck Whibley, who in an interview with Sun Media claimed Lennon as his favorite songwriter.

"I had to decide what I wanted to say with my music, I asked myself all these questions and then just pulled up my own answers and started writing songs based on those themes. I wanted to make an album that meant something important from beginning to end. I wanted it to have relevance and significance. It's not a concept album. It's not about fictional characters in a made-up story but there is a constant idea that runs through the record. It's a deeply personal statement that reflects the confusion and frustration in modern society."

— Deryck Whibley

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk(74%) [2]
Allmusic [1]
BBC(unfavourable) [3]
Entertainment Weekly(B)[4]
The Guardian [5]
IGN(7.0/10) [6]
NME(4/10) [7]
PopMatters4/10) [8]
Rolling Stone [9]
Sputnikmusic [10]

Commercial performance

In Canada, Underclass Hero debuted at #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling just over 9,000 copies in its first week.[11] In the United States, the album sold 44,601 copies in its first week and debuted at #7 on the Billboard 200, making it their highest chart positioning to date in the U.S. It has sold 183,638 copies as of March 2011.[12]

The album spawned three singles, "Underclass Hero", "Walking Disaster", and "With Me". Another song called "March of the Dogs" had also been released as an album preview. The only single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 was "Underclass Hero" which peaked at number 86.[13]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Deryck Whibley, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Underclass Hero" (Deryck Whibley/Steve Jocz)3:14
2."Walking Disaster"4:46
3."Speak of the Devil"3:58
4."Dear Father"3:52
5."Count Your Last Blessings"3:03
6."Ma Poubelle" (Deryck Whibley/Steve Jocz)0:55
7."March of the Dogs"3:09
8."The Jester"2:48
9."With Me"4:51
10."Pull the Curtain"4:18
11."King of Contradiction"1:40
12."Best of Me"4:25
13."Confusion and Frustration in Modern Times"3:46
14."So Long Goodbye"3:01
15."Look at Me" (not available on all editions; hidden track; starts at 2:00)4:03
Bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
1."No Apologies"2:58
2."This Is Goodbye"2:28
3."Take a Look at Yourself"3:24
4."Walking Disaster" (Live at the studio)4:22
5."Count Your Last Blessings" (Live at the studio)2:41

Personnel

Release history

Region Date
Japan July 18, 2007
Canada/Europe July 23, 2007
United States July 24, 2007

Charts

References

  1. ^ a b https://www.allmusic.com/album/r1074163
  2. ^ "Sum 41 - Underclass Hero - Album Review". AbsolutePunk.net. 2007-07-24. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  3. ^ "Music - Review of Sum 41 - Underclass Hero". BBC. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  4. ^ Wood, Mikael (2007-07-20). "Underclass Hero Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-03-13. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Jude Rogers. "CD: Sum 41, Underclass Hero | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  6. ^ Ed Thompson. "Sum 41 - Underclass Hero Review - Music Review at IGN". Music.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  7. ^ "NME Album Reviews - Sum 41". Nme.Com. 2007-07-12. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  8. ^ Blackie, Andrew. "Sum 41: Underclass Hero < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  9. ^ Hoard, Christian (2007-08-23). "Sum 41:Underclass Hero : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2012-03-13. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Sum 41 - Underclass Hero (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  11. ^ "Sum 41's 'Hero' debuts at No. 1". Jam!. Retrieved 2011-04-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "Upcoming Releases". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  13. ^ Billboard - Music Charts, Music News, Artist Photo Gallery & Free Video
  14. ^ https://www.billboard.com/artist/sum-41/chart-history/
  15. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification - April 2008". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
  16. ^ "ゴールド等認定作品一覧　2007年7月". RIAJ (in Japanese). 2007-08-10. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Underclass_Hero&oldid=563123177"