Greetings from Imrie House is the debut studio album by American pop rock band the Click Five. It was released on August 8, 2005 and reached #15 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It contains the band's two biggest domestic chart hits, "Just the Girl" and "Catch Your Wave". Also included are "Angel to You (Devil to Me)", "Pop Princess", and "Say Goodnight", three songs that originally appeared on an EP named after the former song. It is the only album by the band to feature lead vocalist & rhythm guitarist Eric Dill, who left the band in 2007 prior to the production of their second studio album, Modern Minds and Pastimes.[4]
Signing with Lava Records in late 2004, the band began recording their debut album with producer Mike Denneen.[5][6] Along with the signing, they released "Just the Girl" for streaming via their website and "Pop Princess" for a free download.[7] The album's title refers to the band's Boston house on Imrie Street where they lived while writing the album and attending Berklee School of Music.[8] The album's musical style of "retro new wave and power pop" was inspired by Cheap Trick, the Beach Boys, and the Knack.[8] Keyboardist Ben Romans described the record as "the love album" and said "We want to make people feel like they are falling in love and being heartbroken with us all at the same time."[9]Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne and Paul Stanley of KISS worked the band and helped co-write some tracks on the album.[10] The album also features a cover of "Lies" by UK new wave band Thompson Twins. According to lead guitarist Joe Guese, the cover was recorded after the album was completed and was intended only for the Sky High soundtrack. However, the song was added at the last minute as the record label "thought it came out so cool."[11] The song "Angel to You (Devil to Me)" features a guitar solo from Elliot Easton of the Cars.[12] On June 7, 2005, the group announced the release date for the album, announcing it for release on August 16, 2005.[13] However, its release date was pushed up for August 8, made available for digital download via iTunes.[14] A month before the album's release, the group released E-cards online of each member,[15] which was later packaged with the album.[16] The band spent late 2005 and early 2006 touring with Ashlee Simpson, Alanis Morissette, the Backstreet Boys, Jesse McCartney and Big City Rock in support of the album.[16]
Commercial performance
The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 15 on September 3, 2005, marking the highest-ranking debut for any pop or rock band that year, selling 51,541 copies.[8] It was also the best debut in Lava Records' history.[17]Billboard's Melinda Newman opined that the grassroots following the band had developed online responsible for the high debut.[18] In its second week, the album dropped to number 28.[18]
In an era of declining album sales, the band moved 268,000 copies of the album by January 2006, considered disappointing in comparison to the sales of lead single "Just the Girl". "Part of me likes the idea of being a singles band," said Joe Guese to Rolling Stone at the time.[19] As of March 2009, the album has sold 350,000 copies in the United States.[20]
Greetings from Imrie House received mixed to positive reviews. Rolling Stone's Barry Walters deemed the album and group "Simultaneously retro, current, mainstream-minded and knowing."[12] Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly called it "insanely catchy blend," combining "guitar crunch, pop hooks, and Queen-worthy vocal harmonies."[24] John D. Luerssen of AllMusic predicted the band would be considered "disposable," while also attracting "instant acclaim" from other quarters.[22] Bill Lamb of About.com stated, "Some tunes are indeed more catchy than others, but when the band really hits its stride on a Ben Romans original like 'Pop Princess', the world is a tuneful, happy place."[21] Kaj Roth of Melodic said of the album, "Pop like the one on Greetings from Imrie house will always be timeless."[26] Edna Gundersen of USA Today remarked, "this power-pop outfit's squeaky-clean production, catchy melodies and creamy harmonies can be deliciously addictive. Click may click with adolescent tastes, but ultimately the soulless grooves will leave musically mature palates craving something with more substance and bite."[27]
Spin's Jessica Grose found the album "unbelievably derivative and banal," commenting, "The thought of the Click Five catering to legions of swooning tweens may be inevitable considering their tour partners, but you don't have to be part of the Click Five problem. You can be part of the solution."[28] A reviewer for IGN was explicitly negative, describing the record at times "an aborted fetus" and "nauseatingly acrimonious," while also suggesting readers should instead download music from Leonard Cohen (misattributed as Joel Cohen), A Tribe Called Quest, and Can.[25] Many music critics also criticized the group's cover of "Lies". Lamb described their cover as "uninspired" and "a glaring miscalculation."[21] Heather Phares of AllMusic remarked, "the Click Five's remake of 'Lies' might be louder than the original, but it's not any better."[29]
↑ Anderman, Joan (March 7, 2009). "Catch the fallen stars". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 11, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
↑ Greetings From Imrie House (Japanese CD album liner notes). The Click Five. Lava Records. 2005.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
1 2 Greetings from Imrie House (album liner notes). Atlantic Records. 2005. 93826-2.
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