The Vertigo of Bliss | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 16 June 2003 | |||
Recorded | 2002–2003 | |||
Studio | Great Linford Manor (Milton Keynes), Eden (London), The Church (London) and Sanctuary Westside (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 62:04 | |||
Label | Beggars Banquet | |||
Producer | Biffy Clyro, Chris Sheldon | |||
Biffy Clyro chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Vertigo of Bliss | ||||
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The Vertigo of Bliss is the second studio album by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro. Produced with the band by Chris Sheldon, it was released by Beggars Banquet Records on 16 June 2003. The album reached number 48 on the UK Albums Chart, and spawned four singles. A deluxe remastered edition was released in 2012, which featured, in addition to the original 13 album tracks, a number of B-sides from the album's singles.
The album cover for The Vertigo of Bliss was designed by comic book artist Milo Manara. Despite raising some controversy, the artwork was praised by music magazine ShortList who named it in their list of "The 50 Coolest Album Covers Ever", explaining that the "erotic and controversial" cover "only endeared [Biffy] more to the small but loyal fanbase they were beginning to cultivate". [2] In an interview with ShortList, Neil said of the cover "we got quite a bad reaction to that artwork when it first came out [...] that was our first kind of lesson learned that perhaps not everyone shares your perspective on life, or what you value as art, because we were naive enough to be taken by surprise, and then I was naive enough that when people started saying, "Oh this is fucking schoolboy shit," I got really annoyed because I was like, "It's so not that - you're actually being schoolboy here by judging it on just a shallow level." [3]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Drowned in Sound | 8/10 [4] |
The Guardian | [5] |
The List | [6] |
Critical reception to Biffy Clyro's second album was generally positive. Sean Adams of Drowned in Sound wrote "‘The Vertigo of Bliss’ is everything you want it to be and more. Promise. Spread the love, instil it into the hearts of all you know, give it time, and enjoy." [4] Writing for newspaper The Guardian , Betty Clarke awarded the album four out of five stars, calling it "inventive and sublime". [5] Praising singles "Questions and Answers" and "Eradicate the Doubt" in particular, Clarke praised the band for "juggling anger with adoration as they take indie sensitivity and embolden it with blistering rock fury", and said that the album "crackles with certainty". [5] Mark Robertson of The List wrote, "Taking a teen obsession for G N'R and grunge and bonding it to a sense of incurable romanticism, they create something both tender and terror-filled." [6]
Ex-Oceansize/Biffy Clyro touring guitarist Mike Vennart named the album as one of his favourites in 2016, saying "This is pretty much the perfect album. It’s long and sprawling. It’s got all those fanciful, silly ticks and twitches which make Biffy so strange. This record gave me a new love for spidery, wiry clean guitar." [7]
All music is composed by Simon Neil
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Bodies in Flight" | 5:17 |
2. | "The Ideal Height" | 3:41 |
3. | "With Aplomb" | 5:29 |
4. | "A Day Of..." | 2:24 |
5. | "Liberate the Illiterate/A Mong Among Mingers" | 5:28 |
6. | "Diary of Always" | 4:04 |
7. | "Questions and Answers" | 4:02 |
8. | "Eradicate the Doubt" | 4:26 |
9. | "When the Faction's Fractioned" | 3:36 |
10. | "Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke, Toys, Toys, Toys" | 5:28 |
11. | "All the Way Down: Prologue / Chapter 1" | 6:43 |
12. | "A Man of His Appalling Posture" | 3:25 |
13. | "Now the Action Is on Fire!" (ends at 5:55. The hidden track "Ewen's True Mental You" begins at minute 6:25.) | 8:01 |
Total length: | 62:04 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "Ewen's True Mental You" | 1:37 |
15. | "...And with the Scissorkick Is Victorious" | 5:24 |
16. | "Do You Remember What You Came For?" | 3:31 |
17. | "Good Practice Makes Permanent" | 4:19 |
18. | "Let's Get Smiling" | 3:04 |
19. | "Muckquaikerjawbreaker" | 4:10 |
20. | "I Hope You're Done" | 3:40 |
Total length: | 87:49 |
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Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog | Ref. |
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United Kingdom | 16 June 2003 | Beggars Banquet Records | CD album | BBQCD233 | [8] |
LP record | BBQLP233 | [9] | |||
11 June 2012 | Double LP | BBQLP2090 | [10] |
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil and twin brothers James and Ben Johnston. Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have released nine studio albums, and following their first three albums, the band expanded their following significantly in 2007 with the release of their fourth album Puzzle, which peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and was awarded a Platinum certification by the BPI.
Blackened Sky is the debut studio album by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro. Largely produced with the band by Chris Sheldon, it was released by Beggars Banquet Records on 10 March 2002. The album reached number 78 on the UK Albums Chart, and spawned four singles. A deluxe remastered edition was released in 2012, which featured, in addition to the original 12 album tracks, two songs from the band's debut extended play (EP) thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow and a number of B-sides from the album's singles.
Oceansize were an English rock band from Manchester, formed in 1998. The band consisted of Mike Vennart, Steve Durose, Richard "Gambler" Ingram, Mark Heron (drums) and Jon Ellis for the majority of its career, with Steve Hodson replacing Ellis on bass guitar in 2006.
Infinity Land is the third studio album by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro, released on 4 October 2004 on Beggars Banquet.
"27" is a song by Scottish band Biffy Clyro from their 2002 debut album, Blackened Sky. It was the band's first single on Beggars Banquet, released on 9 April 2001 in the United Kingdom. Although the song did not reach the top 100 on the UK Singles Chart, it managed to peak at number 43 on the UK Indie Chart.
"Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke, Toys, Toys, Toys" is a song by Biffy Clyro from their second album, The Vertigo of Bliss, and was the band's fourth single. It appeared as a double A-side with "Joy.Discovery.Invention", and was released on CD and 7". The B-side to the vinyl, "All The Way Down ", originally first appeared on the band's debut independent single, "Iname", in 1999.
"The Ideal Height" is a song by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro, released as the first single from their second studio album, The Vertigo of Bliss (2003), on 24 March 2003. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number 46.
"Questions and Answers" is a song by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro, and was the second single to be released from their 2003 album, The Vertigo of Bliss; It was their first single to enter the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, reaching a peak of number 26. It was also their first top-ten single in their home country, reaching number nine on the Scottish Singles Chart.
"Eradicate the Doubt" is a song by Biffy Clyro and the third single from their 2003 album, The Vertigo Of Bliss, and their seventh overall single. It reached number 98 on the UK Singles Chart.
Puzzle is the fourth studio album by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro, released 4 June 2007 – the album was later released in America in August. It is the band's first album since leaving Beggars Banquet.
Simon Alexander Neil is a Scottish singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for rock band Biffy Clyro. In 2003, Neil formed the side project Marmaduke Duke with JP Reid, releasing two studio album's The Magnificent Duke (2005) and Duke Pandemonium (2009). Another side project fronted by Neil, Empire State Bastard, released their debut studio album Rivers of Heresy in September 2023, reaching number three in Scotland, forty six in the United Kingdom, number three on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Charts and sixty-nine in Germany.
James Robert Johnston is a Scottish bassist, vocalist, and songwriter, best known for his work with Scottish group Biffy Clyro. He is also known as Jim or Jimbo and sometimes signs his name as such.
Streets is a compilation album of early British and French punk rock bands from a variety of independent record labels. It was an attempt at an end of year ‘round up’ and, significantly, was the first album released on Beggars Banquet Records.
Singles 2001–2005 is a compilation album by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro, released 7 July 2008. The album features singles from the band's time with former label, Beggars Banquet.
The discography of Biffy Clyro, a Scottish alternative rock band from Kilmarnock, consists of nine studio albums, three live albums, seven compilations, one soundtrack, six extended plays (EPs), 43 singles, 37 music videos and six other appearances. Formed in 1995 by vocalist and guitarist Simon Neil, bassist James Johnston and drummer Ben Johnston, Biffy Clyro released their debut EP thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow in 2000 through Electric Honey, and later signed with Beggars Banquet Records. The band's debut full-length album Blackened Sky was released in 2002, reaching number 25 on the Scottish Albums Chart. The Vertigo of Bliss followed in 2003, with single "Questions and Answers" reaching the top ten of the Scottish Singles Chart. The band's third and final album on Beggars Banquet, Infinity Land, peaked at number 13 in Scotland. "Glitter and Trauma", "My Recovery Injection" and "Only One Word Comes to Mind" all reached the singles chart top ten.
"Many of Horror" is an alternative rock song by Scottish band Biffy Clyro for their fifth studio album Only Revolutions. The song was released as the fourth single from the album on 18 January 2010. The song was recorded at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, California and mastered at Masterdisk. The lyrics of the song concern Neil's wife and family. Jacknife Lee, who previously remixed "Silhouettes" for the Biffy Clyro and Sucioperro side project Marmaduke Duke, recorded a remix for the song.
"Bubbles" is the fifth single taken from Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro's fifth studio album, Only Revolutions. Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss and Them Crooked Vultures provides additional lead guitar in the song. Despite being one of the lower charting songs from the album, it has spent more weeks in the top 100 than any other Biffy Clyro song.
Opposites is the sixth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro, which was released on 28 January 2013. A double album, Opposites was originally announced as a pair of albums, The Land at the End of Our Toes and The Sand at the Core of Our Bones, which later became the names of the individual discs of the album. The album features 20 songs across two discs. There is also a single disc version with 14 selected tracks. As of July 2016, the album has sold 260,720 copies in the UK.
MTV Unplugged: Live at Roundhouse, London is the third live album and second video by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro. Recorded at the band's one-off acoustic show on 8 November 2017 at the Roundhouse in London as part of MTV Unplugged, it was released on 25 May 2018 by 14th Floor and Warner Bros. Records. The video was directed by Sam Wrench, produced by Sian Larkin & Executive Produced for MTV by Jeremy Davies and Albert Schilcher. The show won Best Live Concert at the 2018 UK Music Video Awards. Four recordings from the release were issued as digital download singles.
Michael James Vennart is an English musician, best known as a guitarist and singer. He is the leader of the eponymous band Vennart, as well as being a member of British Theatre and Empire State Bastard. He is also known as the former frontman of Oceansize, and as a longtime touring guitarist for Biffy Clyro.