- Favourite Worst Nightmare
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Favourite Worst Nightmare 
Studio album by Arctic Monkeys Released 18 April 2007 Recorded December 2006
at Miloco Studios
London, EnglandGenre Indie rock,[1] post-punk revival,[2][3] garage rock Length 37:34 Label Domino, Warner Bros., EMI (Brazil) Producer James Ford
Mike CrosseyArctic Monkeys chronology Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
(2006)Favourite Worst Nightmare
(2007)At the Apollo
(2008)Singles from Favourite Worst Nightmare - "Brianstorm"
Released: 2 April 2007 - "Fluorescent Adolescent"
Released: 4 July 2007 - "Teddy Picker"
Released: 3 December 2007
Favourite Worst Nightmare is the second studio album by English indie rock[1][4] band Arctic Monkeys that was first released in Japan on 18 April 2007[5] before being released around the world. Recorded in east London's Miloco Studios with producers James Ford and Mike Crossey, the album was preceded by the release of new single "Brianstorm" on 16 April 2007.[6] In its first week following release the album sold over 220,000 copies, emulating Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not in going straight to number one in the UK Albums Chart, albeit selling 100,000 copies fewer than their record-breaking debut. Favourite Worst Nightmare's first day sales of 85,000 outsold the rest of the Top 20 combined, while all twelve tracks from the album entered the top 200 of the UK Singles Chart in their own right.[7] In the USA, the album debuted at number seven, selling around 44,000 copies in its first week.[8] The album has since gone 2x platinum[9] in the UK and the album was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize. At the 2008 BRIT Awards it won Best British Album.
Contents
Change of style
In comparison to the band's debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, the album has been described as "very, very fast and very, very loud,"[10] being seen as "more ambitious, heavier...and with a fiercely bright production".[11] Reflecting the band's travels around the world more than local stories of the first record, FWN is a "faster, meaner" album.[12] The album arguably has influences from The Smiths - "twanging, quasi-ambient backdrops...and Turner's voice [...] crooning like Morrissey or Richard Hawley."[11] Matt Helders said "Conor McBride's superfast supersmooth guitar sweeps and bone-crunching C-tuned guitar riffs were a major influence on this album."[6] As a result, the drum rhythms of Helders and bassist Nick O'Malley have drawn comparisons to the Eighties funk band ESG.[6] The band's love of classic films also influences their new style. For example, the organ at the beginning of the album's final track, "505" is taken directly from Ennio Morricone's soundtrack for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (where Angel Eyes enters before the final standoff).[13]
History of the album
The album title, "Favourite Worst Nightmare", came from the song "D is for Dangerous", the third song featured on the album. The band said they also considered naming the album Gordon Brown or Gary Barlow".[13]
In an interview with NME, Nick O'Malley announced several titles including "D is for Dangerous" and "Balaclava". The tracks "The Bakery" and "Plastic Tramp" also mentioned in the NME interview did not make it onto the album, but were later released as B-sides on the "Fluorescent Adolescent" single. The track "Leave Before the Lights Come On" was also rumoured for inclusion, though it didn't make it.
6 of the 12 songs were debuted at gigs before they released the album. The album was recorded quickly as the band wanted to get out and play the songs again.
Reception
Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic 
[14]Blender 
[15]NME 
[16]The Observer [17]Pitchfork Media (7.4/10)[18] PopMatters [1]Q [19]Robert Christgau B+[20] Rolling Stone [21]Spin (6/10)[22] The Guardian [23]Favourite Worst Nightmare has received very favourable reviews since release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 82, based on 38 reviews.[24] In a 5-star review, The Daily Express described it as "a shockingly good release that just gets better, faster and stronger with each listen",[25] while The Guardian said it had "successfully negotiated the daunting task of following up the biggest-selling debut album in British history" and stated that the second half of the album was the stronger half, noting the similarity to Morrissey in "Fluorescent Adolescent" whilst criticising the opening tracks, Brianstorm in particular. Their progression was also higlighted with The Guardian saying "if you removed everything from the album except Matt Helders' drumming, it would still be a pretty gripping listen",[23] and The Observer praising the new sounds on the album referencing the "piercing, melodic guitar by Jamie Cook" and "where Turner reveals the other weapons in his armoury" when referring to Alex Turner's progression.[17] Pitchfork Media noticed the "new emotional depth" of tracks such as "Do Me A Favour", "Only Ones Who Know" and "505"[26] which were also commonly cited by most other critics as being amongst the highlights.
Track listing
All lyrics written by Alex Turner, except where noted, all music composed by Arctic Monkeys.
No. Title Length 1. "Brianstorm" 2:50 2. "Teddy Picker" 2:43 3. "D Is for Dangerous" 2:16 4. "Balaclava" 2:49 5. "Fluorescent Adolescent" (Turner, Johanna Bennett) 2:57 6. "Only Ones Who Know" 3:02 7. "Do Me a Favour" 3:27 8. "This House Is a Circus" 3:09 9. "If You Were There, Beware" 4:34 10. "The Bad Thing" 2:23 11. "Old Yellow Bricks" (Turner, Jon McClure) 3:11 12. "505" 4:13 Japanese edition bonus tracks No. Title Length 13. "Da Frame 2R" 2:20 14. "Matador" 4:57 Bonus video
- The music video for Brianstorm was included as a bonus with iTunes pre-orders of Favourite Worst Nightmare.
Singles
- "Brianstorm" (2 April 2007, Domino Records) #2
- "Fluorescent Adolescent" (9 July 2007, Domino Records) #5
- "Teddy Picker" (3 December 2007, Domino Records)[27] #20
Personnel
- Alex Turner - vocals, guitar, organ on 505
- Jamie Cook - guitar
- Nick O'Malley - bass, vocals
- Matt Helders - drums, vocals
- Miles Kane - guitar on 505
Chart positions
Country Peak position Certification Sales United Kingdom 1 2× Platinum 712,597 Australia 2 Ireland 1 New Zealand 4 Canada 4 Platinum 150,000 United States 7 240,000 Germany 2 Gold 100,000 Japan 4 Gold[28] 175,000 Denmark 1 Finland 14 Belgium 1 Netherlands 1 Switzerland 1 Norway 2 France 6 Gold 100,000 Sweden 6 Austria 6 Italy 14 Gold 60,000 Spain 2 European Top 100 Albums 2 Release details
Country Date Label Format Catalog number Japan 18 April 2007 Hostess CD HSE-10043[29] Germany 20 April 2007[30] CD Ireland Spain Australia 21 April 2007[31] CD United Kingdom 23 April 2007 Domino Records LP WIGLP188 / 5034202018810[32] CD WIGCD188 / 5034202018827[33] Brazil EMI CD France CD Belgium CD United States 24 April 2007 Domino, Warner Bros.[34] CD DNO 136 / 801390013621 Israel CD Canada Domino, WEA International CD References
- ^ a b c http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/33484/arctic-monkeys-favourite-worst-nightmare/
- ^ "Arctic Monkeys: Favourite Worst Nightmare (CD Album)". Mode-9.com. http://www.mode-9.com/cd/info/232/. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ "Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare". Starpulse.com. http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Arctic_Monkeys/Discography/album/P744567/R1027881/. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ "BBC - Seven Ages of Rock "What the World Is Waiting For"". Seven Ages of Rock. 2007. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/sevenages/programmes/what-the-world-is-waiting-for. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ^ Bartz, Simon (5 April 2007). "Planet of the apes". The Japan Times. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fm20070405a1.html. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ^ a b c Paphides, Pete (23 March 2007). "Whatever we hoped they'd be, they are". London: The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article1554116.ece. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
- ^ "Arctics' album storms to the top". BBC. 29 April 2007.
- ^ Katie Hasty, "Lavigne Remains No. 1 As Joe Debuts High", Billboard.com, 2 May 2007.
- ^ BPI.co.uk
- ^ "Arctic Monkeys set to unleash "Favourite Worst Nightmare"". Monsters and Critics. 11 April 2007.
- ^ a b Mulvey, John (22 February 2007). "Favourite Worst Nightmare". Uncut. http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/index.php?blog=6&p=60&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#more60. Retrieved 2007-02-28.
- ^ Collett-White, Mike (20 April 2007). "Arctic Monkeys face the music with 2nd album". The Scotsman (Reuters). http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=610642007. Retrieved 2007-04-20.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Insiders' guide to Arctic Monkeys". BBC News. 23 April 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6567861.stm. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1027881/review
- ^ http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=4482
- ^ http://www.nme.com/reviews/arctic-monkeys/8427
- ^ a b Savage, Jon (22 April 2007). "Arctic Monkeys, Favourite Worst Nightmare". The Guardian (London). http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/10bestcds/story/0,,2060153,00.html.
- ^ http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/42506-favourite-worst-nightmare
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/arcticmonkeys/favouriteworstnightmare
- ^ http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=13608
- ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/favourite-worst-nightmare-20070417,
- ^ http://www.spin.com/reviews/arctic-monkeys-favourite-worst-nightmare-domino
- ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (24 April 2007). "Arctic Monkeys, Favourite Worst Nightmare". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/apr/20/popandrock.alexispetridis. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ "Arctic Monkeys: Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/arcticmonkeys/favouriteworstnightmare. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
- ^ http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/4944
- ^ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/10150-favourite-worst-nightmare/
- ^ Arctic Monkeys announce new single | News | NME.COM
- ^ "ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2007年5月" (in Japanese). RIAJ. 10 June 2007. http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gold/200705.html. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
- ^ Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare Japan CD ALBUM (396187)
- ^ Amazon.de product page
- ^ Sanity.com.au
- ^ Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare UK LP RECORD (397575)
- ^ Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worse Nightmare UK CD ALBUM (397574)
- ^ Mulvey, John (19 March 2007). "Arctic Monkeys' 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' gets a life from Warner Bros.". Monsters and Critics. http://music.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1279664.php/Arctic_Monkeys_Favourite_Worst_Nightmare_gets_a_life_from_Warner_Bros.. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
External links
Preceded by
The Best Damn Thing by Avril LavigneUK number one album
29 April 2007 – 19 May 2007Succeeded by
Minutes to Midnight by Linkin ParkArctic Monkeys Studio albums Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006) · Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007) · Humbug (2009) · Suck It and See (2011)Extended plays Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys (2005) · Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? (2006) · iTunes Live: London Festival '11 (2011)Other albums Beneath the Boardwalk (2004) · At the Apollo (2007)Singles "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" · "When the Sun Goes Down" · "Leave Before the Lights Come On" · "Brianstorm" · "Fluorescent Adolescent" · "Teddy Picker" · "Crying Lightning" · "Cornerstone" · "My Propeller" · "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" · "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala" · "Suck It and See"Other songs "The View from the Afternoon" · "Fake Tales of San Francisco" · "Matador" · "The Death Ramps" · "Brick by Brick"Video albums Scummy Man · At the ApolloTours Related articles Categories:- 2007 albums
- Arctic Monkeys albums
- Domino Records albums
- Warner Bros. Records albums
- Albums produced by James Ford
- Albums certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan
- "Brianstorm"
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