...An Education in Rebellion | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 18, 2000 | |||
Studio | The Studio Underground in San Antonio, Texas; Music Grinder Studios in Hollywood, California; NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California | |||
Genre | Nu metal [1] [2] | |||
Length | 34:08 | |||
Label | Columbia, Portrait | |||
Producer |
| |||
The Union Underground chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from ...An Education in Rebellion | ||||
|
...An Education in Rebellion is the only studio album by American nu metal band The Union Underground. Released on July 18, 2000, through Columbia, the album sold nearly 400,000 copies and featured the singles "Turn Me On 'Mr. Deadman' ", "Revolution Man", and "Killing the Fly". This would be the group's only major label effort and last studio album before disbanding.
After selling more than 5,000 copies of their self-recorded, self-produced 1997 EP, The Union Underground gained the attention of Columbia A&R executive John Weakland. They performed for three Columbia representatives before being signed to Columbia's Portrait imprint by John Kalodner, who commented, "I'd bet my bottom dollar this band will be around 10 years from now." Its summer 2000 release, An Education in Rebellion, resided on the American music charts for four months.
The album's lead single, "Turn Me On 'Mr. Deadman' ", proved key in its success and held on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for six months. The song jabs at the rock star image and found its title from a myth surrounding the Beatles song "Revolution 9". It would go on to become The Union Underground's best known song and received both significant radio play and MTV rotation thanks to its music video. Because of the single, An Education in Rebellion also made AN's Hottest Sales Nationwide chart. [3] It was later featured on the 2001 compilations Corrosion and KROQ New Music. "Killing the Fly" peaked at number 13 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks while the final single, "Revolution Man", reached number 26 and became an Active Rock top 30 hit. [4] A live performance of "South Texas Deathride" was included on Ozzfest 2001: The Second Millennium .
Four tracks from the band's self-released EP – "Drivel", "Bitter", "Until You Crack", and "Natural High" – were included on An Education in Rebellion. A large amount of demo material had been recorded prior to their major label debut, which allowed the band to choose the "cream of the crop" for its inclusion. Lyrically, the album features various autobiographical themes including household drug use, particularly in tracks like "Trip with Jesus". In an interview, The Union Underground described the meaning behind their major label release:
The cover artwork depicts a young New York model named Anna Belise, whom the band found in a magazine model search. According to John Moyer, the model participated in a three-hour photo shoot in "freezing cold" New York weather. He elaborated that the short-sleeved Belise had blue in her complexion not because of makeup but simply due to the severe weather conditions. In addition, the writing on the chalkboard, seen on the album's back cover, was created by Belise and not later added to the photo. [5]
In promoting ...An Education in Rebellion, The Union Underground began headlining the Road Rage tour, with opening acts Linkin Park and Systematic, prior to the album's release. They headlined club dates in fall 2000 and joined Marilyn Manson in late October. [6] According to the band, Manson heard "Turn Me On 'Mr. Deadman'" in a strip club and subsequently hand picked The Union Underground as his tour mates. [7] The next year, they performed on the SnoCore Tour, Ozzfest 2001 in both the United States and Europe, and various festivals in Germany, London, and Paris. [8] To correspond with the excitement of their live show, the band incorporated a large video screen depicting footage pieced together by the band members themselves to play in sync with the song rhythms.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
AllMusic's Tim Sheridan gave the album 3 out of 5 stars and commented, "While their sonic punch is undeniable, blending guitar skronk with Bryan Scott's snarled vocals, the rebellious posing of songs like 'Revolution Man' comes off as a calculated marketing ploy rather than true agitation. Rather than start a revolution, this is music that will likely lead to skateboarding and headbanging."
Steve Lampiris of Spectrum Culture praises the band's self-awareness: "The band—vocalist/guitarist Bryan Scott, guitarist Patrick Kennison, bassist John Moyer and drummer Josh Memelo— alternate between poking fun at rockstar life and junkie culture (and sometimes both simultaneously) throughout the proceedings. Scott dryly mocks the allure of the former: 'Dilate, dilate, what’s my drug of choice?/ It’s okay when they pay, they say I got the voice/ Look at this, the motherfucker is a millionaire/ Realize it’s a mask that you wear' and 'Never forget your lies/ Hypocrisize, five million might change your mind.' He sneers at the latter and romanticizes drug abuse in rock just as much: 'It’s such a shame that it is this way/ I’m a junkie, god is gay/ Hate to bleed but it heals my pain' and 'Say that you never wanna get high, man/ There’s nothing better, give it a try, man'. And ultimately, that’s what An Education in Rebellion is: a 34-minute (satirical) ‘fuck you’ to everything and everybody". [10]
All lyrics written by Bryan Scott. All music written by Bryan Scott except where noted.
No. | Title | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "...An Education in Rebellion" | 1:07 | |
2. | "Drivel" | 2:54 | |
3. | "South Texas Deathride" | Bryan Scott, Patrick Kennison | 3:24 |
4. | "Turn Me On 'Mr. Deadman'" | Scott, Kennison | 2:38 |
5. | "Until You Crack" | 3:28 | |
6. | "Killing the Fly" | 3:44 | |
7. | "Natural High" | Scott, Kennison | 3:26 |
8. | "Revolution Man" | Scott, Kennison | 3:40 |
9. | "Trip With Jesus" | 3:26 | |
10. | "Bitter" | 3:53 | |
11. | "The Friend Song" | 2:24 | |
Total length: | 34:08 |
Year | Chart | Peak position |
---|---|---|
2000 | Top Heatseekers | 2 |
The Billboard 200 | 130 |
Year | Song | Mainstream Rock Tracks | R&R Active Rock Airplay |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | "Turn Me On 'Mr. Deadman' " | 11 | - |
2001 | "Killing the Fly" | 13 | - |
"Revolution Man" | 26 | Top 30 |
Nu metal is a subgenre of alternative metal that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu metal rarely features guitar solos or other displays of musical technique, and emphasizes rhythm with instrumentation that is heavily syncopated. Nu metal guitarists typically use seven-string guitars that are down-tuned to produce a heavier sound. Vocal styles are often rhythmic and influenced by hip hop, and include singing, rapping, screaming and sometimes growling. DJs are occasionally featured to provide instrumentation such as sampling, turntable scratching and electronic background music. Nu metal is one of the key genres of the new wave of American heavy metal.
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer José Pasillas while enrolled in Calabasas High School and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppel; the latter two were eventually replaced by bassist Ben Kenney and DJ Kilmore, respectively. Nicole Row replaced Kenney in 2024.
Disturbed is an American heavy metal band from Chicago, formed in 1994. The band includes guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren, lead vocalist David Draiman and bassist John Moyer. Donegan and Wengren have been involved in the band since its inception, with Draiman replacing original lead vocalist Erich Awalt in 1996 and Moyer replacing original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak in 2004.
Believe is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed, released on September 17, 2002 via Reprise Records. Produced by the band and Johnny K, it focuses heavily on religious and spiritual themes inspired by recent tragedies. With greater emphases on melodic dynamics, it also demonstrates a broadening in the band's musical range compared to their 2000 debut The Sickness. Believe was the last studio album to feature original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak before he was fired from the band in 2003.
Nothingface was an American nu metal band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1994. Their best-known and most prolific line-up consisted of Matt Holt (vocals), Tom Maxwell (guitar), Bill Gaal (bass) and Chris Houck (drums). They disbanded in 2004, only to reform the following year, reuniting with Gaal and Houck, and then disband four years later. In 2017, Holt died from a degenerative disease.
Endo was a four-piece nu metal group from Miami, Florida. The band formed in 1995, released two major record label albums in 2001 and 2003, and worked on songs for a third before disbanding in 2007. In 2012, the band got back together with Gil, Eli and Joel, with their new bass player, Derek Gormley. Recording on their new album began early in 2013 with B-Team Records in Miami, Florida. The album was released in July 2013.
The Union Underground is an American nu metal band based out of San Antonio, Texas. Original band members included Bryan Scott, Patrick Kennison, John Moyer and Josh Memolo. They released one major label album, ...An Education in Rebellion, in 2000 which featured the hit single "Turn Me On 'Mr. Deadman'".
Primer 55 was an American nu metal band which formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1997. The name originated from the combination of Primer, meaning "something that's unfinished", and 55, which refers to Interstate 55, "the road that drugs run on to get to Chicago through Memphis".
John David Kalodner is a retired American A&R executive.
Slaves on Dope is a Canadian nu metal band based in Montreal, Quebec.
Scars is the second studio album by American rock band Soil, released on September 11, 2001, via J Records. It was the band's major label debut, and J Records' first rock album.
No One is the only studio album by Chicago nu metal band of the same name. It was released on August 14, 2001 via Immortal Records and produced by Johnny K who also worked with Chicago natives Disturbed and SOiL. Neither the band nor their debut release gained any widespread commercial attention, despite the album being classified under the once-popular nu and alternative metal genre. Two singles from No One were released in "Chemical" and "Down on Me" and received moderate radio play for a short time. The album was re-released by the band February 6, 2024 but the track listing appeared in a different order and alternate cover art.
Infest is the second studio album and major-label debut by the American rock band Papa Roach. It was released on April 25, 2000, through DreamWorks Records, and became the 20th highest-selling album of 2000 in the United States. The sound of the album is nu metal and rap metal. Many of the album songs contains rapping and hip hop influences. It was certified 3× Platinum in the U.S. on July 18, 2001, and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. This album earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. It is their best-selling album to date. To commemorate the album's 20th anniversary, Papa Roach got together and performed the album live in its entirety in studio to stream worldwide on June 20, 2020. The whole performance was released on YouTube on September 15, 2020.
John Robert Moyer is an American musician, best known as the bassist for the heavy metal band Disturbed. After the demise of his previous band, The Union Underground, Moyer took over for previous Disturbed bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak in 2004. Moyer has played with the group since their third studio album, Ten Thousand Fists, which he played on as a session member, becoming a full-time member around 2005 during the supporting tour for the album. Moyer has also played bass for the supergroup Adrenaline Mob, Art of Anarchy and Operation: Mindcrime. He currently also plays in Stereo Satellite.
Patrick Kennison is an American rock musician. He co-founded The Union Underground who played on Ozzfest 2001 and released an album An Education in Rebellion which sold 350,000 copies. Union Underground broke up due to musical differences with Kennison forming a new band 3-Faced with Marty O'Brien.
"Y'All Want a Single" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn for their sixth studio album, Take a Look in the Mirror. It was released as the album's third single in March 2004, chosen by fans through a poll on the band's official forum.
"The Other Side" is a song performed by the American rock band Aerosmith, and written by Steven Tyler, Jim Vallance, and Holland-Dozier-Holland. It was released on June 6, 1990 as the fourth single from the band's highly successful 1989 album Pump.
Mortal was a Christian industrial/dance band fronted by Jerome Fontamillas and Jyro Xhan. Both members went on to found the alternative rock group Fold Zandura, and for a time were members of both bands simultaneously. The band is known for its lyrical intelligence, incorporating advanced theology with what has been billed as "Industrial Praise and Worship." According to CCM Magazine "Mortal has had a much greater influence... on industrial music than its modest output would suggest."
Headtrip to Nowhere is the major label debut album by the Canadian heavy metal band Flybanger. It was released on February 20, 2001, through Columbia Records. The CD is enhanced to include a video of the song "Outlived", not otherwise heard on the disc. The album included two tracks which had been released with the band's Outlived EP. This album was Flybanger's only major release before disbanding.
"Turn Me On 'Mr. Deadman'" is a song by American nu metal band The Union Underground. The song was released as the first single from the band's only studio album to date, ...An Education in Rebellion. The song peaked at no. 11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)