Release the Stars

Infobox Album
Name = Release the Stars
Type = studio
Artist = Rufus Wainwright


Released = May 15, 2007
Recorded =
Genre = Pop classical
Length = 55:09
Label = Geffen
Producer = Rufus Wainwright, Neil Tennant
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kxfuxzl5ld6e~T1 link]
*EW B+ [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20038387,00.html link]
*"The Guardian" Rating|4|5 [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2076461,00.html link]
*"NME" (5/10) [http://www.nme.com/reviews/8564 link]
*"The Observer" Rating|5|5 [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/10bestcds/story/0,,2060119,00.html link]
*Pitchfork Media (6.7/10) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/42974-release-the-stars link]
*PopMatters (7/10) [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/41678/rufus-wainwright-release-the-stars/ link]
Last album = "Want Two"
(2004)
This album = "Release the Stars"
(2007)
Next album = "Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall"
(2007)Singles
Name = Release the Stars
Type = Studio
Single 1 = Going to a Town
Single 1 date = April 3, 2007 (U.S.)
May 7, 2007 (UK)
Single 2 = Rules and Regulations
Single 2 date = July 30, 2007 (UK)
Single 3 = Tiergarten
Single 3 date = October 2007

"Release the Stars" is the fifth studio album by Rufus Wainwright, released on May 15, 2007. "Going to a Town" was the first single. Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant executive produced the album, which was mixed by producers Marius De Vries and Andy Bradfield. [ [http://www.geffen.com/artist/news/default.aspx/nid/11040/aid/386/ Rufus Wainwright :News: Release the Stars ] ] It features guest stars Richard Thompson, longtime friend and fellow singer-songwriter Teddy Thompson, sister Martha Wainwright, Kate McGarrigle, Neil Tennant, Joan Wasser, and actress Siân Phillips. [ [http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2007/02/1308.cfm Rufus Wainwright is Ready to Release the Stars ] ]

Background

"Going to a Town" was released as a single to the iTunes Music Store on April 3, 2007, and it quickly became one of Wainwright's best selling tracks online. It also achieved B-list status on the BBC Radio 2 playlist. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/playlist/ BBC - Radio 2 - Playlist ] ] "Low Grade Happiness" was the B-side offered on the May 7 release of the single in the UK.

"Release the Stars" debuted at number 23 on the U.S. "Billboard" 200, Wainwright's highest debut chart position to date, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week. [Katie Hasty, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003589114 "Linkin Park Scores Year's Best Debut With 'Midnight'"] , "Billboard.com", May 23, 2007.] The album also achieved Wainwright's highest chart position in the UK album chart The Official UK Charts Company, debuting at #2 with sales approaching 30,000 in the first week. [ [http://www.theofficialcharts.com/top40_albums_last.php?week=1&end=20/05/2007%20-%2026/05/2007 The Official UK Charts Company: TOP 40 ALBUMS ARCHIVE: WEEK 05: 20/05/2007-26/05/2007 ] ]

Wainwright has stated that in starting the album he intended for a stripped down sound – "Initially, this was simply going to be an album of piano and voice"http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/rufus-wainwright-the-truth-i-am-great-450636.html] – until he visited Berlin, leading to the album's classically indulgent sound: "Basically, a huge wave of German romanticism descended on the recording process, and almost drowned me."

Wainwright wrote "Tulsa" after meeting The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers in a bar. "Sanssouci" was inspired by 18th century Prussian monarch Frederick the Great's Rococo summer palace outside Berlin. The last 30 seconds of "Between My Legs" contains the opening notes of the title song from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "The Phantom of the Opera". The images on the front cover, back cover, and liner notes of the album are from the "gigantomachy" frieze at the Pergamon Altar, currently in Berlin. The photos were taken by Wainwright.

Track listing

# "Do I Disappoint You" – 4:40
# "Going to a Town" – 4:06
# "Tiergarten" – 3:26
# "Nobody's Off the Hook" – 4:27
# "Between My Legs" – 4:26
# "Rules and Regulations" – 4:05
# "Not Ready to Love" – 5:51
# "Slideshow" – 6:21
# "Tulsa" – 2:20
# "Leaving For Paris No. 2" – 4:52
# "Sanssouci" – 5:16
# "Release the Stars" – 5:20

;iTunes pre-order bonus track
#

"Cowboy Song"

;Wal-Mart online bonus track
#

"Patience is a Virtue"

;Best Buy bonus tracksThe CD included a download card:
#

"Old Paint"
# "Low Grade Happiness"

;UK version bonus track
#

"Do I Disappoint You" (instrumental version)

Bonus DVD with album commentary and live performances of "Vibrate", "The Art Teacher", "Rebel Prince", and "Gay Messiah".

Personnel

* Rufus Wainwright – Vocals (1-12), Piano (1-3,5,9,10), String Arrangement (2,4,7-9,12), Acoustic Guitar (5-8), Piano Arrangement (4,9), Horn Arrangement (6,8), Nylon String Guitar (11), Percussion (3), Orchestral Arrangement (1)
* David Adorjan - Cello (1,2,4,9)
* Gabriel Adorjan - Violin (1,2,4,9)
* Carl Albach - Trumpet (1,6,8), Piccolo Trumpet (1,6,8)
* Brad Albetta - Bass (11)
* Steven Bernstein - Trumpet (1,6,8,12), Conducting (1,6,8), Horn Arrangement (12)
* Jason Boshoff - Programming (1,3,5,6,11)
* Rob Burger - Organ (12)
* Ozan Cakar - French Horn (1,2,5)
* John Chudoba - Trumpet (1,6,8)
* Barry Danielian - Trumpet (12)
* Marius de Vries - Programming (1,3,5,6,11), Conducting (7,8,12), Breathing (3)
* Dominic Derasse - Trumpet (1,6,8), Piccolo Trumpet (1,6,8)
* Florian Dorpholz - Trumpet (1,2,5)
* Lygia Forrest - Backing Vocals (12)
* Rachelle Garniez - Claviola (6), Accordion (6)
* Pirmin Grehl - Flute (1,11)
* Jason Hart - Backing Vocals (5), Organ (2)
* Jeff Hill - Electric Bass (5-8), Bass (1,3,10), Upright Bass (2,6), Backing Vocals (5)
* Smokey Hormel - Guitar (12)
* Matt Johnson - Drums (2,3,5-8), Backing Vocals (5), Percussion (8), Recorder (6)
* Sharon Jones - Backing Vocals (12)
* Briggan Krauss - Baritone Saxophone (12)
* Gerry Leonard - Guitar (1,5,6,11), Electric Guitar (3,7)
* Dan Levine - Trombone (1,6,8,12)
* London Session Orchestra - Strings (7,8,12)
* Kate McGarrigle - Piano (7)
* John Medeski - Piano (12)
* Raphael Mentzen - Trumpet (1,2,5)
* Ronith Mues - Harp (3,5,11)
* Jenni Muldaur - Backing Vocals (3,11)
* Larry Mullins - Shaker (1,2,6), Triangle (1,2,5), Timpani (1,5), Cymbals (1,5), Tambourine (1,6), Vibes (1,7), Piano Percussion (1), Bass Drum (1), Tabla (6), Bongos (5), Bells (1), Cowbells (1), Castanets (5), Woodblock (6), Fish (6), Marimba (2), Glockenspiel (1)
* Jack Petruzelli - Acoustic Guitar (5,6,11), Electric Guitar (5,7,8), Backing Vocals (5), Banjo (2)
* Siân Phillips - Spoken Word (5)
* Anna Prohaska - Vocals (5)
* Julianna Raye - Backing Vocals (2,5,8,11), Tambourine (5)
* Rachel Rilling - Violin (1,2,4,9)
* Lucy Roche - Backing Vocals (2,5,8,11)
* Raphael Sachs - Viola (1,2,4,9)
* Jorg Sandnar - Piano (4)
* Tony Scherr - Upright Bass (12)
* Louis Schwadron - French Horn (5)
* Paul Shapiro - Tenor Saxophone (12)
* Tom Stephan - Additional Programming (3)
* Neil Tennant - Backing Vocals (3,6,7), Breathing (3), Keyboards (7), Synthesizer (6), Loops (1), Samples (1), Vibes (7)
* Ian Thomas - Drums (5)
* Richard Thompson - Electric Guitar (2,5,7,8), Acoustic Guitar (3)
* Teddy Thompson - Backing Vocals (3)
* Dave Trigg - Trumpet (1,6,8), Piccolo Trumpet (1,6,8)
* Martha Wainwright - Backing Vocals (1,8)
* Joan Wasser - Backing Vocals (2,5,8,11), Electric Guitar (5,8), Violin (2)
* Kenny Wollesen - Drums (12)

Chart positions

References

External links

* [http://www.releasethestars.com/ Official site]