Crash! Boom! Bang! | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 11 April 1994 | |||
Recorded | February 1993 – January 1994 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Pop rock | |||
Length | 62:06 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Producer | Clarence Öfwerman | |||
Roxette chronology | ||||
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Favorites from Crash! Boom! Bang! | ||||
Singles from Crash! Boom! Bang! | ||||
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Crash! Boom! Bang! is the fifth studio album by Swedish pop rock duo Roxette,released on 11 April 1994 by EMI. [1] The album was an immediate commercial success,peaking within the top 10 in over 20 national charts throughout Europe,Australasia and South America. The full-length album was not originally released in the United States,where a shortened version titled Favorites from Crash! Boom! Bang! was sold for a limited time through McDonald's outlets;this version sold over a million copies in the US but was deemed ineligible to chart on the Billboard 200 as,until 2007,Billboard had a policy of excluding albums sold by an exclusive retailer.
Five singles were released from the album:lead single "Sleeping in My Car" became the duo's second number one in their home country,and peaked at number seven on Billboard 's European Hot 100 Singles. It would become the duo's final track to appear on the Billboard Hot 100,where it peaked at number 50,and was also their last hit single in Australia. This was followed by the release of "Crash! Boom! Bang!","Fireworks","Run to You" and "Vulnerable". As of 2001,Crash! Boom! Bang! has sold in excess of 5 million copies worldwide. Japanese editions included "Almost Unreal" as a bonus track.
Prior to Crash! Boom! Bang!'s international release,a shorter version of the album was released by CEMA for a limited time exclusively through outlets of the McDonald's restaurant chain in the US. Favorites from Crash! Boom! Bang! sold over a million copies, [2] the proceeds of which were used to fund Ronald McDonald House Charities programs for the health and well-being of children. [3] [4] This CD was sold at below normal wholesale cost,and the promotion angered traditional music retailers,who claimed that it devalued music. [5] This edition of the record was the subject of a 1998 lawsuit filed against an Uppsala-based music production company by Roxette and their Swedish record label. The duo and their label alleged that J.G.S. Skivproduktion illegally imported 40,000 copies of Favorites from Crash! Boom! Bang! into the EU. Rather than seek monetary damages,the duo requested the destruction of all remaining copies. [6]
The record was released globally from 11 April 1994 on CD,cassette and vinyl formats. Japanese editions included "Almost Unreal" as a bonus track—the song had previously been released as a non-album single on the soundtrack of the Super Mario Bros. (1993) motion picture. [7] Despite a tentative "early summer" release date being set for the US, [8] the full-length album would not see release there until it was reissued globally with bonus tracks in 2009. According to Nielsen SoundScan,the full-length album sold 46,000 copies in the US as of 2005,as an import-release. [9] The band toured extensively to promote the record,the "Crash! Boom! Bang! Tour" saw them perform to over a million people. Roxette became the first western act since Wham! in 1985 to stage a concert in communist China,performing to over 15,000 people at the Workers Indoor Arena. The tour concluded on 1 May 1995 in Moscow,with Roxette becoming the first act since 1917 to hold a concert on that date—a public holiday in Russia. [10] As of 2001,the album has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. [2]
Five singles were released from the album. "Sleeping in My Car" served as its lead single,and was an immediate commercial success throughout Europe. The song debuted at number one in Sweden,and peaked within the top 20 of national charts in numerous territories:namely Austria,Benelux,Germany,Ireland,Scandinavia,Spain and the UK. [8] It went on to peak at number seven on European Hot 100 Singles. [11] The song was serviced to US radio stations from 2 June, [8] and would be the duo's final track to appear on the Billboard Hot 100,peaking at number 50. [12] "Crash! Boom! Bang!","Fireworks" and "Run to You" were released as subsequent singles,each with varying degrees of success. "Vulnerable" concomitantly served as both Crash! Boom! Bang!'s fifth and final single and lead single from the band's 1995 compilation Rarities . The album was released exclusively in South America and Asia,and compiled previously unreleased demos and remixes,as well as songs from the band's 1993 MTV Unplugged set. [13]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [14] |
Entertainment Weekly | C+ [15] |
Knoxville News Sentinel | [16] |
Los Angeles Times | [17] |
NME | 3/10 [18] |
Smash Hits | [19] |
The album received mixed reviews from the American music press. A writer for Entertainment Weekly was critical of the album's ballads and mid-tempo songs,and complained that "If only Per Gissle (sic) had let the charged-up Marie Fredriksson sing lead vocals on all 15 songs,Crash! might've qualified as an unqualified guilty pleasure." [15] People expressed a similar sentiment:complimenting the scope and diversity of material found on the record,but said that "As with the duo's previous work,Crash! Boom! Bang! hits its best notes when Fredriksson is at the mike",and said that her vocals were "more subtle and graceful than [ever]". [20] Although a review for AllMusic complimented the duo's vocals and songwriting,they lamented the album as being "too pop for rock listeners and too rock for mid-'90s pop fans." [14] Conversely,Jean Rosenbluth of the Los Angeles Times praised the album's inclusion of harder rock influences,complimenting the "deliciously overwrought ballads,bubblegum and great almost-grunge." [17] Music &Media stated that "The world champions of pop rock are defending their title in style with this 15-single jukebox,a fifty fifty balance between rockers ("Sleeping in My Car") and ballads ("Place Your Love" and the title track).
All lyrics are written by Per Gessle; all music is composed by Gessle, except "Lies" by Gessle and Mats MP Persson and "Go to Sleep" and "See Me" by Marie Fredriksson
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Harleys & Indians (Riders in the Sky)" | 3:45 |
2. | "Crash! Boom! Bang!" | 5:02 |
3. | "Fireworks" | 3:58 |
4. | "Run to You" | 3:39 |
5. | "Sleeping in My Car" | 3:47 |
6. | "Vulnerable" | 5:03 |
7. | "The First Girl on the Moon" | 3:11 |
8. | "Place Your Love" | 3:09 |
9. | "I Love the Sound of Crashing Guitars" | 4:49 |
10. | "What's She Like?" | 4:16 |
11. | "Do You Wanna Go the Whole Way?" | 4:11 |
12. | "Lies" | 3:41 |
13. | "I'm Sorry" | 3:10 |
14. | "Love Is All (Shine Your Light on Me)" | 6:41 |
15. | "Go to Sleep" | 3:58 |
Total length: | 62:06 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Harleys & Indians (Riders in the Sky)" | 3:45 |
2. | "Crash! Boom! Bang!" | 5:02 |
3. | "Fireworks" | 3:58 |
4. | "Run to You" | 3:39 |
5. | "Sleeping in My Car" | 3:46 |
6. | "Vulnerable" | 5:01 |
7. | "The First Girl on the Moon" | 3:00 |
8. | "Place Your Love" | 3:10 |
9. | "I Love the Sound of Crashing Guitars" | 4:48 |
10. | "What's She Like?" | 4:14 |
11. | "Do You Wanna Go the Whole Way?" | 4:11 |
12. | "Almost Unreal" | 3:59 |
13. | "Lies" | 3:41 |
14. | "I'm Sorry" | 3:10 |
15. | "Love Is All (Shine Your Light on Me)" | 6:41 |
16. | "Go to Sleep" | 3:59 |
Total length: | 66:05 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Harleys & Indians (Riders in the Sky)" | 3:45 |
2. | "Run to You" | 3:39 |
3. | "Crash! Boom! Bang!" | 5:02 |
4. | "I Love the Sound of Crashing Guitars" | 4:48 |
5. | "Do You Wanna Go the Whole Way?" | 4:09 |
6. | "The First Girl on the Moon" | 3:02 |
7. | "Place Your Love" | 3:07 |
8. | "Lies" | 3:34 |
9. | "I'm Sorry" | 3:13 |
10. | "Go to Sleep" | 4:00 |
Total length: | 38:20 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
16. | "Almost Unreal" | 3:54 |
17. | "Crazy About You" | 3:57 |
18. | "See Me" | 3:44 |
Total length: | 73:30 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
19. | "Better Off on Her Own" | 2:47 |
20. | "Always Breaking My Heart" (Demo) | 3:04 |
Total length: | 79:21 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Crash! Boom! Bang!. [21]
Musicians
Technical
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Austria (IFPI Austria) [50] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [51] | Platinum | 40,406 [51] |
Germany (BVMI) [52] | Platinum | 500,000^ |
Italy | — | 100,000 [53] |
Japan (RIAJ) [54] | 2× Platinum | 400,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [55] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Poland (ZPAV) [56] | Gold | 50,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [57] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [58] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [59] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [60] | Gold | 100,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [61] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
Worldwide | — | 5,000,000 [2] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Roxette is a Swedish pop rock duo consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle. The two were already established musicians in Sweden prior to Roxette's formation. Fredriksson had released a number of successful solo albums, while Gessle had been the lead singer and songwriter of Gyllene Tider, a band which had three number one albums in Sweden. Acting on the advice of Rolf Nygren, the CEO of their mutual record label EMI, Fredriksson and Gessle collaborated to record "Neverending Love", the first single from Roxette's 1986 debut album Pearls of Passion, which were both hits in Sweden.
Look Sharp! is the second studio album by Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, released on 21 October 1988 by EMI, two years after their debut Pearls of Passion (1986). It was recorded at EMI Studios in Stockholm and at Trident II Studios in London between March and September 1988. The album was an immediate commercial success in Sweden, debuting at number one and eventually being certified 6× platinum there.
Joyride is the third studio album by Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, released on 25 March 1991 by EMI as the follow-up to their international breakthrough Look Sharp! (1988), as well as the non-album single "It Must Have Been Love", from the soundtrack to Pretty Woman (1990). The album was recorded over an 11-month period in Sweden. The duo experienced considerable pressure from their record label to deliver a successful follow-up album, and resisted pressure to relocate to Los Angeles and work with experienced American producers.
Have a Nice Day is the sixth studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released worldwide from 22 February 1999 by Roxette Recordings and EMI. Recorded over an 18-month period in studios in Sweden and Spain, the album was produced by Marie Fredriksson, Per Gessle, Clarence Öfwerman and Michael Ilbert, and was their first studio album since Crash! Boom! Bang! in 1994. The album was not released in the US, as the duo were no longer signed to a label there. A deluxe edition was released in Spanish-speaking territories and, in Arabian regions, the naked babies on the cover were digitally removed, due to religious concerns.
Room Service is the seventh studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released worldwide from 2 April 2001. A planned release in the United States failed to materialise, as the duo's label there, Edel Records America, had been disbanded the previous month due to financial difficulties. Marie Fredriksson was not as involved in the album's production as she had been on previous records, taking part in the composition of just two songs. The album was remastered and reissued with bonus tracks in 2009.
Don't Bore Us - Get to the Chorus! Roxette's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 30 October 1995 by EMI. The record contains the duo's four number ones from the US Billboard Hot 100 chart: "The Look", "Listen to Your Heart", "It Must Have Been Love" and "Joyride", and a further two which reached number two on the chart: "Dangerous" and "Fading Like a Flower ". It also includes four newly recorded tracks, three of which were released as singles: "You Don't Understand Me", "June Afternoon" and "She Doesn't Live Here Anymore". The album's title is based on a quote from Motown-founder Berry Gordy.
The Ballad Hits is the second greatest hits compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 4 November 2002 by Roxette Recordings and Capitol Records. It was the first of a two-part series of "best of" albums released by the duo in quick succession, and was followed by The Pop Hits in March 2003. Two new songs were recorded specially for The Ballad Hits: lead single "A Thing About You" and "Breathe". The album was a commercial success upon release, and has been certified gold or platinum in a number of territories.
Rarities is a compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released from 10 February 1995 by EMI exclusively in Southeast Asia and South America. The record is composed of previously released b-sides, demos, single mixes and remixes, as well as several songs from the duo's 1993 performance for MTV Unplugged. As of 2001, the compilation has sold in excess of a million copies worldwide.
Baladas en Español is a Spanish language compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 21 October 1996 by EMI. The compilation was only issued in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking territories. It was a commercial success upon release, peaking in the top ten of several national record charts, and was certified gold or platinum in numerous territories, namely Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Spain. As of 2001, the record sold in excess of 1.2 million copies worldwide.
"Sleeping in My Car" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 7 March 1994 by EMI as the lead single from the duo's fifth studio album, Crash! Boom! Bang! (1994). The song was composed by Per Gessle in under an hour, and was the final song the band recorded for the album. It is a pop rock song containing elements drawn from pop punk. Marie Fredriksson's vocal range on the track spans over three octaves. The band performed the song at the inaugural 1994 MTV Europe Music Awards.
"Crash! Boom! Bang!" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released in May 1994 by EMI as the second single from the duo's fifth studio album, Crash! Boom! Bang! (1994). The song became a moderate hit in several European countries, peaking in the top 20 in Austria, Belgium, Finland and Sweden. It spent over five months on the German Singles Chart, peaking at number 31. The accompanying music video for the song, directed by Michael Geoghegan, had to be filmed twice before release, due to technical issues.
"Run to You" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 21 November 1994 by EMI as the fourth single from the duo's fifth studio album, Crash! Boom! Bang! (1994). Written by Per Gessle and produced by Clarence Öfwerman, the song charted moderately in several territories, peaking at number 20 in Finland, while reaching the top forty in Belgium, Scotland, Switzerland and the UK. "Run to You" was the duo's final single to chart in the top fifty of the Australian Singles Chart, peaking at number 49. The song's music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund.
"Vulnerable" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released in February 1995 by EMI as the fifth and final single from their fifth studio album, Crash! Boom! Bang! (1994), while simultaneously acting as the lead single from the duo's 1995 compilation album, Rarities.
A Collection of Roxette Hits: Their 20 Greatest Songs! is the fourth greatest hits compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 18 October 2006 by Roxette Recordings and Capitol to celebrate 20 years since the release of their debut album, Pearls of Passion. It was issued in conjunction with a six-disc box set, The Rox Box/Roxette 86–06. The duo recorded "One Wish" and "Reveal" in June 2006, their first songs recorded as a duo since vocalist Marie Fredriksson's brain tumour diagnosis four years earlier.
The discography of Swedish pop duo Roxette consists of ten studio albums, one live album, thirteen compilation albums, one remix album, eleven video albums, three box sets, fifty-six singles and twenty promotional singles, as well as fifty-two music videos. The duo, which consisted of Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson, are the second most commercially successful Swedish act of all time, after ABBA. They sold over 75 million records worldwide, although a report by the Los Angeles Times put the figure as high as 80 million. The RIAA awarded them certifications of 3.5 million units in the US, where the duo have sold over two million albums since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data in May 1991. The BPI in the UK certified Roxette for shipments of at least 3 million. They were particularly successful in Germany, where they are recognised as one of the highest-certified acts of all time, with shipments of 5.725 million units.
Crash! Boom! Live! is the fourth concert film by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 19 September 1996 on VHS and LaserDisc formats by Picture Music International and EMI. It contains a shortened version of the duo's 14 January 1995 concert in the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa of the Crash! Boom! Bang! Tour, which saw the band performing to over one million people during its eighty-plus concerts throughout South Africa, Europe, Australia, Asia and Latin America. According to the video's liner notes, attendance for this show was in excess of 52,000 people.
The "Crash! Boom! Bang! World Tour" was the fourth concert tour by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, launched in support of their fifth studio album Crash! Boom! Bang! (1994).
Charm School is the eighth studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 11 February 2011 by Roxette Recordings and Capitol. It was their first studio album since 2001's Room Service, and their first since vocalist Marie Fredriksson's brain tumour diagnosis in 2002. "She's Got Nothing On " preceded the album as its lead single, which became the duo's highest-peaking single in almost two decades in territories such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The song also entered Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart—making Roxette the only duo who appeared on that chart in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
Roxette XXX – The 30 Biggest Hits is the sixth greatest hits compilation album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 3 November 2014 by Roxette Recordings in conjunction with Parlophone and Warner Music Group.
Good Karma is the tenth and final studio album by Roxette, a Swedish pop rock duo consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle. Released on 3 June 2016 by Roxette Recordings and Parlophone, it was the only album issued by the duo under an international recording contract signed with Parlophone's parent company Warner Music Group. The album was produced by Gessle alongside Christoffer Lundquist and Clarence Öfwerman, with co-production on several tracks by Addeboy vs. Cliff, among others.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)L'ultima produzione discografica in studio dei Roxette risale all7inizio '94: e "Crash! Boom! Bang!", che in Italia ha venduto 100 mila copie