Gorillaz | ||||
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Released | 26 March 2001 | |||
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Length | 61:24 | |||
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Gorillaz chronology | ||||
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Damon Albarn chronology | ||||
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Singles from Gorillaz | ||||
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Gorillaz is the debut studio album by English virtual band Gorillaz,released on 26 March 2001 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and June 19,2001 in the United States by Virgin Records. [1] The album reached number three in the UK and number fourteen in the US,and the top ten in several other countries. Gorillaz has sold over seven million copies worldwide. The album's success earned the group an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most Successful Virtual Band", [2] and spawned the singles "Clint Eastwood","19-2000","Rock the House",and "Tomorrow Comes Today".
Musician Damon Albarn and comic book creator Jamie Hewlett met in 1990 when guitarist Graham Coxon,a fan of Hewlett's work,asked him to interview Blur,a band Albarn and Coxon had recently formed. [3] The interview was published in Deadline magazine,home of Hewlett's comic strip, Tank Girl . Hewlett initially thought Albarn was "arsey,a wanker";despite becoming acquaintances with the band,they often did not get on,especially after Hewlett began seeing Coxon's ex-girlfriend Jane Olliver. [3] Despite this,Albarn and Hewlett started sharing a flat on Westbourne Grove in London in 1997. [4] Hewlett had recently broken up with Olliver and Albarn was at the end of his highly publicised relationship with Justine Frischmann of Elastica. [3]
The idea to create Gorillaz came about when Albarn and Hewlett were watching MTV. Hewlett said,"If you watch MTV for too long,it's a bit like hell –there's nothing of substance there. So we got this idea for a cartoon band,something that would be a comment on that." [5] The band originally identified themselves as "Gorilla" and the first song they recorded was "Ghost Train" [6] which was later released as a B-side on their single "Rock the House" and the B-side compilation G-Sides . The musicians behind Gorillaz' first incarnation included Albarn,Del the Funky Homosapien,Dan the Automator and Kid Koala,who had previously worked together on the track "Time Keeps on Slipping" for Deltron 3030's eponymous debut album. [7]
Although not released under the Gorillaz name,Albarn has said that "one of the first ever Gorillaz tunes" was Blur's 1997 single "On Your Own",which was released for their fifth studio album Blur . [8]
In March 2021,to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album's release,a vinyl box set was announced. [9] The first edition of the boxset,which was exclusive to the band's webstore,was released on 10 December 2021. The boxset includes previously released material,including the original album,the B-sides compilation album G-Sides,and the remix album Laika Come Home (which received its first reissue since its initial press) and previously unreleased material,including live performances from the 2001 London Forum concert and five demos. [10] Additionally,it also includes notes and early sketches by Jamie Hewlett during the making of the album. [11] [12]
Critics have described the album as alternative rock, [13] [14] lo-fi, [15] [16] dub, [17] [18] hip hop, [19] [20] trip hop, [18] [21] and art pop, [22] with elements of punk rock, [23] rap rock, [24] art rock, [17] Britpop, [19] Latin, [23] and bubblegum pop. [23] The album's first single "Clint Eastwood",is named after the famous movie actor. A interpolation of the “Rock 1”preset from the Omnichord OM-300 can be heard throughout the song. Years after the release of this album,it was revealed that the track "Starshine" has an alternative version,which features Luton-based rap group Phi Life Cypher. This version is not available on any releases,but it is available on the Phi Life Cypher SoundCloud channel and also on the video-sharing website YouTube. [25]
All editions of the Gorillaz album feature an enhanced section that included screen savers,wallpaper and an autoplay,featuring a short movie which opens the user's Internet browser to a special section of the Gorillaz website,which gives the user full access to Murdoc's Winnebago. [26]
Del the Funky Homosapien collaborated on two songs on the album,"Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House",both of which became singles and videos and achieved chart success. Del was not originally slated to collaborate on these songs. By the time Del came onto the project,the album was already finished,and Phi Life Cypher had recorded verses for "Clint Eastwood";but when Del finished making Deltron 3030 with Dan the Automator,Automator asked if he could stay in the studio a little longer to record new verses for the Gorillaz songs. [27] For the purposes of the music videos and the Gorillaz storyline canon,Del performed as Gorillaz character "Del the Ghost Rapper",who was said to be a spirit that was hiding from death within the band's drummer,Russel Hobbs. Del later commented in an interview on the success of "Clint Eastwood" by saying that he actually wrote his rap for the song using the book How to Write a Hit Song,a book that he bought with a coupon his mother gave him. After the song went platinum he gave the plaque to his mother. [28] As part of Russel Hobbs' back-story,the character of Del was one of Russel's friends that was gunned down in a drive-by shooting,whose ghost possessed Russel. [29]
In 2004,the album was packaged with 2002's Laika Come Home in a limited edition box set as part of EMI's "2CD Originals" collection. Other saw a release such as the reggae-dub "Dub Dumb",which features British-Jamaican artist Sweetie Irie;it is available on the PlayStation 2 game MTV Music Generator 2 rather than on G-Sides or the album itself. Other tracks include "Gor Beaten",which was another track that didn't make the album;however,elements of the track's instrumental were once available on one of the Gorillaz member's computers in Kong Studios. [30]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 71/100 [31] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [32] |
Alternative Press | 8/10 [33] |
The Guardian | [34] |
Los Angeles Times | [35] |
NME | 6/10 [36] |
Pitchfork | 7.0/10 [37] |
Q | [38] |
Rolling Stone | [22] |
Slant Magazine | [39] |
Spin | 7/10 [40] |
Gorillaz received generally positive reviews from critics. It was ranked sixth in both Spin's and Kludge's end-of-year lists, [41] [42] 48 on NME's 2001 year-end list [43] and Q ranked it among the 50 best albums of the year. [44] The album was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Music Prize (Gorillaz was bookmakers' favourite before the nomination was withdrawn at the band's request). [45]
The album made some retrospective "best of" lists. Slant Magazine ranked the album no. 96 in its best of the 2000s, [46] Complex, Consequence Of Sound and Rhapsody ranked it among the top 100 albums of the 2000s [47] [48] [49] and Gigwise included it in its 2013 best self-titled albums of all time. [50] The album was given an entry in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [51]
All songs are written by Damon Albarn and performed by Gorillaz,except where noted. Produced by Dan the Automator/Gorillaz with the exception of Track 13 produced by Tom Girling &Jason Cox
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Re-Hash" | 3:40 | ||
2. | "5/4" | 2:42 | ||
3. | "Tomorrow Comes Today" | 3:13 | ||
4. | "New Genious (Brother)" ( [note 1] ) |
| 3:59 | |
5. | "Clint Eastwood" |
|
| 5:41 |
6. | "Man Research (Clapper)" | 4:30 | ||
7. | "Punk" | 1:36 | ||
8. | "Sound Check (Gravity)" | 4:41 | ||
9. | "Double Bass" | 4:45 | ||
10. | "Rock the House" |
|
| 4:08 |
11. | "19-2000" | 3:27 | ||
12. | "Latin Simone (¿Qué Pasa Contigo?)" |
|
| 3:36 |
13. | "Starshine" | 3:31 | ||
14. | "Slow Country" | 3:34 | ||
15. | "M1 A1" ( [note 2] ) |
| 3:50 | |
Total length: | 56:56 |
Source: [58]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "19-2000" (Soulchild Remix) | 3:29 |
2. | "Dracula" | 4:41 |
3. | "Rock the House" (radio edit) (featuring Del the Funky Homosapien) | 3:03 |
4. | "The Sounder" (edit) (featuring Phi Life Cypher) | 4:29 |
5. | "Faust" | 3:51 |
6. | "Clint Eastwood" (Phi Life Cypher Version) | 4:52 |
7. | "Ghost Train" | 3:54 |
8. | "Hip Albatross" | 2:42 |
9. | "Left Hand Suzuki Method" | 3:12 |
10. | "12D3" | 3:24 |
Total length: | 45:48 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Jungle Fresh" | 5:28 |
2. | "Strictly Rubbadub" | 3:41 |
3. | "Bañana Baby" | 5:29 |
4. | "Monkey Racket" | 5:57 |
5. | "De-Punked" | 5:20 |
6. | "P.45" | 4:26 |
7. | "Dub Ø9" | 5:17 |
8. | "Crooked Dub" | 5:31 |
9. | "Mutant Genius" | 5:02 |
10. | "Come Again" | 6:04 |
11. | "A Fistful of Peanuts" | 5:53 |
12. | "Lil' Dub Chefin'" | 4:28 |
Total length: | 62:36 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "M1 A1" | 4:08 |
2. | "Tomorrow Comes Today" | 3:52 |
3. | "Slow Country" | 3:58 |
4. | "5/4" | 3:02 |
5. | "Starshine" | 5:25 |
6. | "Man Research (Clapper)" | 4:58 |
7. | "Sound Check (Gravity)" | 5:13 |
8. | "Re-Hash" | 4:14 |
9. | "Clint Eastwood" | 5:00 |
10. | "Rock The House" | 4:23 |
11. | "Dracula" | 5:14 |
12. | "19/2000" | 3:57 |
13. | "Punk" | 4:36 |
14. | "5/4" (Reprise) | 3:21 |
15. | "Clint Eastwood" (Reprise) | 5:58 |
Total length: | 67:35 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "1st Idea" | 2:41 |
2. | "Shaga Laga" | 3:05 |
3. | "Genious" (Demo version of New Genious (Brother)) | 3:57 |
4. | "Hand Clapper" | 3:05 |
5. | "Acoustic 2" (Demo version of Latin Simone) | 2:06 |
Total length: | 14:54 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Gorillaz. [58]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [115] | Platinum | 40,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [116] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [117] | Gold | 20,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [118] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [119] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [120] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [121] | Gold | 15,169 [121] |
France (SNEP) [122] | Platinum | 300,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [123] | Gold | 150,000^ |
Iceland | — | 3,000 [124] |
Mexico (AMPROFON) [125] | Gold | 75,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [126] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [127] | Gold | 25,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [128] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [129] | Platinum | 80,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [130] | Platinum | 40,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [131] | 3× Platinum | 974,311 [132] |
United States (RIAA) [133] | Platinum | 2,435,000 [134] |
Uruguay (CUD) [135] | Gold | 3,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [136] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000* |
Worldwide | — | 7,000,000 [137] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Label | Catalog | Edition |
---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | Parlophone | 7243 5 32093 0 | original |
7243 5 31138 0 3 | reissue | ||
France | 7243 5 34488 0 6 | limited | |
United States | Virgin | 7243 5 33748 0 8 | original |
reissue | |||
Malaysia | EMI | 7243 5 38704 0 9 | limited |
USA | Warner Bros. Records | 337480-2PRL | December 2013, reissued after Universal acquired EMI and Warner’s acquisition of Parlophone. |
Gorillaz are a British virtual band created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbs (drums). Their universe is presented in media such as music videos, interviews, comic strips and short cartoons. Gorillaz's music has featured collaborations with a wide range of featured artists, with Albarn as the only permanent musical contributor.
100th Window is the fourth studio album by English electronic music group Massive Attack, released on 10 February 2003 by Virgin Records. The album was mainly produced by lead member Robert Del Naja, as the group's producer Andrew Vowles departed shortly after the release of their previous album Mezzanine (1998), and Grant Marshall opted out of the production of the album. 100th Window features vocals from regular guest Horace Andy, as well as newcomers Sinéad O'Connor and Damon Albarn. Stylistically, it is the first album by the group to make no use of existing samples, and contains none of the hip hop or jazz fusion styles that the group were initially known for.
13 is the sixth studio album by the English alternative rock band Blur, released on 15 March 1999. Continuing the stylistic shift away from the Britpop sound of the band's early career, 13 explores experimental, psychedelic and electronic music.
Teren Delvon Jones, better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien or Sir DZL, is an American rapper.
G-Sides is a B-sides collection by Gorillaz from their first studio album session, Gorillaz and the Tomorrow Comes Today EP. The compilation was originally released only in Japan on 22 December 2001. The US edition, with a slightly different track listing, followed on 26 February 2002. The European version, released on 11 March 2002, features the original Japanese track listing. The Japanese and US editions are different because the songs "Dracula" and "Left Hand Suzuki Method" are included on the standard US edition of Gorillaz as bonus tracks. The Brazilian limited edition release incorporates all of the tracks from both the Japanese and US versions of the album. Most versions have the same cover, featuring Noodle holding a skeleton doll in her hand, named "Bonesy", although some—notably the Japanese version—have her holding a Godzilla figurine instead. On the top of the sleeve, the title is written in katakana: ジー サイズ. G-Sides reached number 65 on the UK Albums Chart and number 84 on the US Billboard 200.
Demon Days is the second studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 11 May 2005 in Japan and 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and May 24, 2005 in the United States by Virgin Records. Produced by Gorillaz, Danger Mouse, Jason Cox, and James Dring, it features De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF Doom, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder and Dennis Hopper.
"Tomorrow Comes Today" is a song from British virtual band Gorillaz's self-titled debut album Gorillaz and was their first release when issued as an EP in November 2000. The first three songs from the EP ended up on their debut album, however, "Latin Simone" was heavily edited, and dubbed into Spanish, for the album release. The new version was sung by Ibrahim Ferrer, and renamed "Latin Simone ". The original version is sung by 2-D and appears along with "12D3" on some versions of the later-released compilation album G-Sides. The song itself was also the fourth and final single from that album, released on 25 February 2002. It peaked at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart. A demo version of the song, "I Got Law" was included as a bonus track of the Japanese edition of 13 by Blur, Damon Albarn's other musical project.
"Clint Eastwood" is a song by English virtual band Gorillaz, released as the first single from their self-titled debut album on 5 March 2001. The song is named after the actor of the same name due to its similarity to the theme music of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The song is a mix of electronic music, dub, hip hop and rock. The verses are rapped by Del the Funky Homosapien, portrayed as a blue phantom in the video, while the chorus is sung by Damon Albarn.
"19-2000", sometimes written "19/2000", is a song from the British virtual band Gorillaz' self-titled debut album Gorillaz. It was the second single from the album, released on 25 June 2001 in the United Kingdom. "19-2000" reached number six on the UK Singles Chart and number 34 on the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart. It was particularly successful in New Zealand, where it reached number one for a week in September 2001.
The discography of British virtual band Gorillaz consists of eight studio albums, three compilation albums, 11 extended plays, one remix album, and 46 singles.
Plastic Beach is the third studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 3 March 2010 by Parlophone internationally and by Virgin Records in the United States. Conceived from an unfinished project called Carousel, the album was recorded from June 2008 to November 2009, and was produced primarily by group co-creator Damon Albarn. It features guest appearances by such artists as Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Lou Reed, Mark E. Smith, Bashy, Kano, and Little Dragon.
The Fall is the fourth studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was announced on 20 December 2010 and released as a download for members of the Gorillaz fan club on 25 December 2010. This was followed by a wider physical release of the album on 19 April 2011.
The Singles Collection 2001–2011 is a compilation album released by British virtual band Gorillaz on 28 November 2011. The album is a collection of the group's singles released between 2001 and 2011, except The Fall. The album is available in four different editions: standard, deluxe, 12" vinyl and 7" single box set.
Everyday Robots is the debut solo studio album by British musician Damon Albarn, best known as the frontman of Blur and Gorillaz. Described by Albarn as his "most personal record", the album was co-produced by Richard Russell and released on 25 April 2014. It features guest contributions from musician and producer Brian Eno, singer Natasha Khan and the Leytonstone City Mission Choir. It was nominated for the 2014 Mercury Prize for best album.
Humanz is the fifth studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 28 April 2017 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Warner Bros. Records. The album was announced on the band's official Instagram page on 23 March 2017. According to a press release, it was recorded in London, Paris, New York City, Chicago, and Jamaica, and was produced by The Twilite Tone and Remi Kabaka Jr. It was the band's first studio album since 2010's The Fall, and features collaborations with Jehnny Beth, Grace Jones, Kali Uchis, Vince Staples, Popcaan, D.R.A.M., Anthony Hamilton, De La Soul, Danny Brown, Kelela, Mavis Staples, Pusha T, and Benjamin Clementine.
Gorillaz Live was the first concert tour by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz, in support of their self-titled debut album.
The Now Now is the sixth studio album recorded by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 29 June 2018 via Parlophone and Warner Bros. Records. Recording for the album began in late 2017 – according to Gorillaz co-creator Damon Albarn, it was recorded quickly so the band would have new material to play at future concerts.
"Humility" is a single by British virtual band Gorillaz featuring American jazz guitarist George Benson. It was released on 31 May 2018 along with "Lake Zurich" as the first single from their sixth studio album, The Now Now. On 12 July 2018, two remixes of the song by Superorganism and DJ Koze were released. It charted in a total of 8 countries reaching number 85 on the US Billboard Hot 100, with its highest position in any chart being number 7 in Billboard's Hot Rock Songs.
Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez is the seventh studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 23 October 2020 via Parlophone and Warner Records. The album was released as the culmination of Gorillaz' Song Machine project, a web series consisting of a collection of singles and music videos, dubbed "episodes" each featuring different guest artists. The album marked the return of the character Murdoc Niccals in promotional material, after his absence from The Now Now in 2018. The record received positive reviews from music critics. Slowthai, Slaves, Fatoumata Diawara, Peter Hook, Georgia, Octavian, ScHoolboy Q, Robert Smith, Elton John, 6lack, Beck, Leee John, St. Vincent, Kano, and Roxani Arias, among others, appears as the collaborators on the album.
Cracker Island is the eighth studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 24 February 2023 via Parlophone and Warner Records. It features collaborations with Stevie Nicks, Adeleye Omotayo, Thundercat, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, Bootie Brown and Beck. A deluxe edition was released with additional tracks featuring De La Soul, MC Bin Laden, Del the Funky Homosapien and Dawn Penn.
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