Based on a True Story (Fat Freddy's Drop album)

Last updated

Based on a True Story
Based on a True Story (Fat Freddy's Drop album).jpg
Studio album by
Released2 May 2005
Recorded Wellington, New Zealand 2005
Genre
Length69:55
Label The Drop
Producer DJ Fitchie
Fat Freddy's Drop chronology
Live at the Matterhorn
(2001)
Based on a True Story
(2005)
Dr Boondigga and the Big BW
(2009)
Singles from Based on a True Story
  1. "Wandering Eye"
    Released: 12 December 2005

Based on a True Story is the first studio album by New Zealand group Fat Freddy's Drop. It was recorded in Wellington and released on the band's own label, The Drop. Based on a True Story utilized the band's trademark dub, reggae, soul and funk influenced sound, and has been successful both in terms of sales and of critical reception. The album followed years of regular touring within New Zealand, a live album, several singles, and appearances on numerous compilation albums in New Zealand and internationally.

Contents

Whilst the track listing named previously successful singles such as "Hope" and "This Room", these songs were in fact rerecorded in entirely new versions for the album. Based on a True Story has to date also spawned a highly successful single in its own right: Wandering Eye, which was awarded the prize for Best Music Video at the 2006 New Zealand Music Awards (18 October).

The album made an impact internationally as well. Listeners of Gilles Peterson's BBC Worldwide Program voted it as Album of the Year for 2005.

Sales and recognition

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg link
SonarStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg link

The album debuted at number 1 and went gold in its first day, and so far has become the longest album by a New Zealand group/artist to stay at number 1 (10 weeks). As of June 23, 2016 the album had been in the New Zealand charts for 108 weeks and had gone 9 times Platinum, selling over 135,000 copies .

In 2005, Based on a True Story won the New Zealand Music Awards for 'Album of the Year', an unusual achievement for an independent label. 'Based On A True Story' also features appearances from New Zealand musicians including Ladi 6, P Digsss, Hollie Smith, Rio Hemopo & Riki Gooch, Nick Gaffaney, Chris Yeabsley & Aaron Tokona.

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Ernie"7:17
2."Cay's Crays"7:07
3."This Room"5:00
4."Ray Ray"7:38
5."Dark Days"6:40
6."Flashback"6:30
7."Roady" (features P Digsss and Ladi 6)7:08
8."Wandering Eye"9:49
9."Del Fuego"5:24
10."Hope" (features Hollie Smith)7:19

Band members

Related Research Articles

New Order (band) English rock band

New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by vocalist and guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. The band formed after the demise of Joy Division, following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis. They were joined by Gillian Gilbert on keyboards later that year. New Order's integration of post-punk with electronic and dance music made them one of the most acclaimed and influential bands of the 1980s. They were the flagship band for Manchester-based independent record label Factory Records and its nightclub The Haçienda, and they worked in long-term collaboration with graphic designer Peter Saville.

Madness (band) British ska band

Madness are an English ska band from Camden Town, North London, who formed in 1976. One of the most prominent bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s two-tone ska revival, they continue to perform with six of the seven members of their original line-up. Madness's most successful period was from 1980 to 1986, when the band's songs spent a total of 214 weeks on the UK Singles Chart.

The Bomfunk MC's is a Finnish hip hop group that was active between 1998 and 2005, before reuniting in 2018. The group's frontman is the rapper B.O. Dubb, and the main producer is Jaakko Salovaara, known as "JS16".

The music of New Zealand has been influenced by a number of traditions, including Māori music, the music introduced by European settlers during the nineteenth century, and a variety of styles imported during the twentieth century, including blues, jazz, country, rock and roll, reggae, and hip hop, with many of these genres given a unique New Zealand interpretation.

Tony Hadley English pop singer-songwriter

Anthony Patrick Hadley is an English singer-songwriter, actor and radio presenter. He rose to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer of the New Romantic band Spandau Ballet and launched a solo career following the group's split in 1990. Hadley returned to the band in 2009 but left again in 2017. Hadley is known for his "expressive voice" and "vocal range".

The Darkness (band) English rock band

The Darkness are a British rock band formed in Lowestoft, England. The band consists of Justin Hawkins, his brother Dan Hawkins, Frankie Poullain and Rufus Tiger Taylor.

Mis-Teeq British girl group

Mis-Teeq were a British girl group, consisting of Alesha Dixon, Su-Elise Nash and Sabrina Washington. They had two top-ten albums and seven consecutive top-ten singles, with chart-topping success on the UK Singles Chart as well as across Europe, Asia, Australasia and the US. The group had originally been a quartet with Zena McNally who left in January 2001.

P-Money Musical artist

Peter Wadams, better known by his stage name P-Money, is a New Zealand hip-hop DJ and producer. One of his best-known works is "Everything", featuring New Zealand R&B singer Vince Harder, which reached number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart for three weeks in 2008; however, he is probably best known for his recordings with Scribe, including the 2003 smash hit "Not Many". Peter Wadams is also credited as co-writer and producer on the 2017 hit "Call on Me" by Australian singer Starley.

Sly and Robbie Jamaican rhythm section and production duo

Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians. Shakespeare died in December 2021 following kidney surgery.

Fat Freddys Drop New Zealand band

Fat Freddy's Drop is a New Zealand seven-piece band from Wellington, whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno. Originally a jam band formed in the late 1990s by musicians from other bands in Wellington, Fat Freddy's Drop gradually became its members' sole focus. Band members continued playing with their other respective groups—The Black Seeds, TrinityRoots, Bongmaster, and others—for much of their 20-year career. Fat Freddy's Drop are known for their improvised live performances. Songs on their studio albums are versions refined over years of playing them live in New Zealand and on tour abroad.

Shapeshifter are a live drum and bass act from New Zealand. They are known for their live shows and blend of heavy soul with drum and bass. They have made appearances at Glastonbury, The Big Chill, Big Day Out, Parklife plus sold-out performances across Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Jane Anne McDonald is an English singer, songwriter and television presenter. Born and raised in Wakefield, McDonald spent much of her early career performing in local clubs and pubs before landing work as a singer on cruise ships. McDonald became known to the public in 1998 following her appearance on the BBC show The Cruise.

Fat Joe American rapper (born 1970)

Joseph Antonio Cartagena, better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a solo career and set up his own label, Terror Squad, to which he signed Big Pun, Remy Ma, Tony Sunshine, Cuban Link, Armageddon, Prospect, Triple Seis, and a then-unknown DJ Khaled, as well as discover producers Cool & Dre.

Swedish popular music, or shortly Swedish pop music, refers to music that has swept the Swedish mainstream at any given point in recent times. After World War II, Swedish pop music was heavily influenced by American jazz, and then by rock-and-roll from the U.S. and the U.K. in the 1950s and 60s, before developing into dansband music. Since the 1970s, Swedish pop music has come to international prominence with bands singing in English, ranking high on the British, New Zealand, American, and Australian charts and making Sweden one of the world's top exporter of popular music by gross domestic product.

Faithless discography

The discography of Faithless, a British electronica band, consists of seven studio albums, four remix albums, three compilation albums, thirty singles and a number of other appearances.

Terror Squad Productions is an American Hip hop and Rap record company founded by Fat Joe in 1997. The label had been distributed by Atlantic, EMI, and Imperial, E1. Most recently, Fat Joe was granted distribution for Terror Squad releases through EMPIRE.

Ladi6 Musical artist

Karoline Fuarose Park-Tamati, known professionally as Ladi6, is a New Zealand recording artist of Samoan descent. She spent six months living in Berlin and touring Europe in both 2010 and 2011. Her debut album Time Is Not Much debuted at number 4 on the New Zealand Top 40 Album chart. and her second album The Liberation Of... debuted at number 6 and was certified gold. Her single "Like Water" was certified platinum in June 2011. She has won many awards, including Best Female Solo Artist and Best Urban Hip Hop Album at the 2011 New Zealand Music Awards and Best Urban/Hip Hop Album at the 2009 New Zealand Music Awards. The current line-up of the wider Ladi6 group is Ladi6, her partner Parks and Julien Dyne. Ladi6 has been called "New Zealand's answer to Erykah Badu".

Ki Fitzgerald Musical artist

Ki Fitzgerald, commonly known as Azteck, is an English Dj,musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He has written/produced and vocalist on several top 10 singles and albums and was a founding member of the English pop rock band Busted from 2000 to 2001. KiFi is also the feature vocalist on Don Diablo's single "The Same Way", Hardwell/Wildstylez's single "Shine a Light" and Armin van Buuren's "Turn It Up".

Greg Haver is a Welsh music producer, based in New Zealand. He is best known for his work with the Manic Street Preachers and Melanie C. He has worked on a number of award-winning singles and albums. With the Manic Street Preachers, he was involved in production for numerous gold and platinum accredited albums. This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours, Send Away the Tigers and Know Your Enemy albums received gold accreditations in the UK. He also worked on Melanie C's album Beautiful Intentions.