Curtain Call: The Hits
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2008) |
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Curtain Call: the Hits is a 2005 compilation album by the rapper Eminem. Although it was inaccurately billed as Eminem's fifth studio album, Curtain Call is a greatest-hits album, containing only three original songs. It was released on December 6, 2005 under Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment.
History
The album contains three new songs: "Fack", "Shake That", and "When I'm Gone". "When I'm Gone" is a sentimental song about Eminem's daughter Hailie Jade. "Shake That" is a club-oriented single featuring Nate Dogg, while "Fack" is a sexually-explicit joke track.
The album has debuted at #1 in the UK Albums Chart, after only being given 2 sales days to chart, in a similar fashion to his previous album Encore. It also gave Eminem his fourth straight #1 album in the U.S. and U.K.
The booklet in the album contains pictures from throughout Eminem's career, including him performing at the Grammy Awards of 2001 with Elton John, a group shot of D12, an image from the video for "Superman", the cover of The Marshall Mathers LP, and images previously featured in the booklets from his past albums.
The album has sold 2.9 million copies in the United States up to October 2008.[1]
Artwork
The album front cover shows Eminem (not recognizable) standing on stage in a suit being surrounded by red roses on the stage floor. The back cover basically shows the same, though more focused on the roses. This is more or less the same as in the "When I'm Gone" music video. Opening the CD reveals two pictures of Eminem, one (on the left) where he is sitting at a desk with a lot of paper notes (probably lyrics) surrounding him and a man in a business suit talking to Eminem, presumably a record label manager. The right picture shows a tattoo of a portrait of Eminem's daughter Hailie Jade on his right arm. Below the portrait the text "Bonnie & Clyde" is visible.
Flipping the album open even further reveals both CDs. Removing the first CD reveals a reversed "E" and the text "Curtain Call" accompanied by the explanation of a curtain call: "n: an appearance by actor or performer at the end of the concert or play in order to acknowledge the applause of the audience [syn: bow]". Removing the second CD (Stan's Mixtape) reveals Eminem pointing a gun directly at the viewer, where the picture is focused on the gun and Eminem's face is blurred, though still easy to recognize.
The booklet has the same cover as the album. The first page shows a black and white picture of Eminem performing live and being surrounded by smoke from a smoke machine. The second page gives information about the first four songs on the album, acommpanied by three small pictures of which one is from The Marshall Mathers LP, one from The Slim Shady LP and the other showing Eminem wearing a black t-shirt with the text "Runyon Ave". In that last picture he holds a Detroit Police Department sign with the text "Slim Shady / D12 313 87", imitating a mug shot.
The third page shows Eminem in a sporting outfit, as known from the movie 8 Mile where he was known as "Jimmy". The third page also contains the information about the fifth, sixth and seventh song. The fourth page is a full picture of Eminem sitting on the ground in an alley while it is raining heavily.
On the fifth page there are three small pictures of Eminem rapping in a recording studio. The bigger picture (below the information about the eighth song) shows Eminem sitting behind a large panel of studio controls with Dr. Dre looking at Eminem from the other side. Then comes a picture of D-12 with Eminem kneeling in front, showing D12 brass knuckles. In front of them there's a large row of 40 ounces.
The seventh page shows a close up of Eminem showing regular brass knuckles. Songs nine to thirteen are on page eight with a small picture of Eminem in a suit reading a news paper. On page nine and ten, where the rest of the songs are mentioned, Eminem is surrounded by dozens of beautiful women in black underwear.
Most notably are page eleven and twelve, where the songs of Stan's Mixtape are mentioned, but also shows a picture of Eminem and Elton John performing "Stan" live. The last two pages show Eminem in Shady Ltd. clothing in the back of an SUV with Proof sitting next to him. On the right page the album's "cast" is mentioned. The CD and especially the booklet basically take you through Eminem's career, from his debut to his own clothing line and this greatest hits compilation.
Track listing
| # | Title | Featured Guest | Length | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intro | 0:34 | ||
| 2 | "Fack" | 3:26 |
| |
| 3 | "The Way I Am" | 4:51 |
| |
| 4 | "My Name Is" | 4:29 | ||
| 5 | "Stan" | Dido | 6:44 |
|
| 6 | "Lose Yourself" | 5:26 | ||
| 7 | "Shake That" | Nate Dogg | 4:34 |
|
| 8 | "Sing for the Moment" | Joe Perry | 5:40 |
|
| 9 | "Without Me" | 4:51 |
| |
| 10 | "Like Toy Soldiers" | 4:56 |
| |
| 11 | "The Real Slim Shady" | 4:45 |
| |
| 12 | "Mockingbird" | 4:11 |
| |
| 13 | "Guilty Conscience" | Dr. Dre | 3:20 | |
| 14 | "Cleanin' Out My Closet" | 4:59 | ||
| 15 | "Just Lose It" | 4:09 |
| |
| 16 | "When I'm Gone" | 4:41 |
| |
| 17* | "Stan" (Live) | Elton John | 6:20 |
|
NOTE: In the clean version of Curtain Call, "Intro" and "Fack" were removed and "My Name Is" was moved to the first track.
In some versions of Curtain Call, "Fack" is removed and replaced by "Ass Like That" as well as the live version of "Stan" replaced by "Superman".
Deluxe edition bonus disc (Stan's Mixtape)
| # | Title | Performing artist(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Dead Wrong" (Remix) | The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Eminem | Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs and Mario "Yellow Man" Winans | 4:59 |
| 02 | "Role Model" | Eminem | Dr. Dre and Mel-Man | 3:26 |
| 03 | "Kill You" | Eminem | Dr. Dre and Mel-Man | 4:26 |
| 04 | "Shit on You" | D-12 | DJ Head | 5:29 |
| 05 | "Criminal" | Eminem | F.B.T. and Eminem | 5:14 |
| 06 | "Renegade" | Eminem featuring Jay-Z | Eminem | 5:37 |
| 07 | "Just Don't Give a Fuck" | Eminem | F.B.T., Eminem (co) | 4:01 |
iTunes promo tracks
- "Bad Guys Always Die ("Wild Wild West" Soundtrack Version)" (featuring Dr. Dre) –4:41
- "Bad Influence"–3:39
- "Get You Mad"–4:23
NOTE: These three tracks were only given to those who pre-ordered the deluxe Curtain Call album on iTunes.
Chart certifications
- US - 2x Platinum (2,713,610)
- Brazil - Gold (55,000)
- UK - 3x Platinum (900,000)
- Austria - Gold (35,000+)
- Australia - 3x Platinum (210,000+)
- France - 2x Gold (186,000)
- Korea - Gold (20,691)
- Europe - 2x Platinum (2 million)
- Switzerland - gold (20,000)
- Ireland - 7x Platinum (105,000)
- Denmark - Platinum (40,000)
- Japan - Platinum (425,938)
- New Zealand - 4x Platinum (60,000+)
- Canada - 3x Platinum (335,000)
- Greece - Gold (10,000)
- Sweden - Gold (30,000)
Album chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Australian ARIA Albums Chart | 1 |
| Billboard 200 | ||
| 2006 | Australian ARIA Albums Chart | |
| 2005 | Ireland IRMA Album Charts | 1 |
Singles chart positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Tracks | Top 40 Mainstream | Rhythmic Top 40 | Pop 100 | ||
| 2005 | "When I'm Gone" | #8 | #96 | #22 | #13 | #18 | #7 |
| 2006 | "Shake That" | #6 | - | #11 | #13 | #8 | #6 |
External links
- Curtain Call: the Hits By Eminem
- Eminem.com - Official site
- Aftermath - Aftermath fansite
References
- ^ Crosley, Hillary. "Eminem Returns To Rap With 'Relapse'". Billboard. October 16, 2008.
| Studio albums |
|
|---|---|
| Compilations |
|
| Soundtrack albums | |
| EPs |
|
| Video albums | |
| Books | |
| Concert tours | |
| Groups | |
| Related articles | |
