In Love and Death is the second studio album by American alternative rock band The Used. It was released on September 28, 2004 and was later certified gold in the United States, indicating over 500,000 copies shipped.[12] It is their most commercially successful album to date.[3] The title and music reference a number of tragic events that surrounded vocalist Bert McCracken during the album's production, notably the death of his pregnant girlfriend. In Love and Death is the final studio album to feature drummer Branden Steineckert.
Release and promotion
The album was first released on September 28, 2004. The album was re-released on May 3, 2005 with the addition of a bonus track, a cover of Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure", in which they collaborated with My Chemical Romance. The track "Sound Effects and Overdramatics" was featured on the Saw IIsoundtrack, and "All That I've Got" was used in the Saints Row 2soundtrack. In August 2009, an instrumental version of the album was released on digital music stores.
Reception
The album has been generally well received by critics. Billboard said that it "continues to straddle the line between street credibility and mainstream success". The Guardian gave it 3 out of 5 stars, saying "Songs of self-abuse and suicide - and those are the sunnier moments - are wrapped in wailing riffs, big choruses and fiddly guitar solos." The album has been unanimously acclaimed by the fanbase. The album, along with The Used, are considered to be the band's strongest work. By February 2006, the album had sold over 642,000 copies.[13]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Quinn Allman, Bert McCracken, Jeph Howard and Branden Steineckert, except where noted