Back to Bedlam

Infobox Album | Name = Back to Bedlam
Type = Album
Artist = James Blunt

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Released = October 11 2004
Recorded = 2004
Genre = Folk rock
Pop
Length = 39:28
Label = Custard Records | Atlantic Records
Producer = Tom Rothrock, James Blunt, Jimmy Hogarth, Linda Perry
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3x3tk6kxykr3 link]
*"Rolling Stone" Rating|3|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/jamesblunt/albums/album/7672436/rid/7702803/ link]
*"Slant Magazine" Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=701 link]
Last album =
This album = "Back to Bedlam"
(2004)
Next album = ""
(2006)
Misc = Singles
Name = Back to Bedlam
Type = studio
single 1 = High
single 1 date = October 18 2004
single 2 = Wisemen
single 2 date = March 7 2005
single 3 = You're Beautiful
single 3 date = May 30, 2005
single 4 = Goodbye My Lover
single 4 date = December, 2005 Extra album cover
Upper caption = Alternative cover
Type = studio


Lower caption = CD cover

"Back To Bedlam" is the debut album from British singer-songwriter James Blunt, released by Custard Records in 2004. Much of the album is acoustic-tinged rock and folk pop. Tom Rothrock produced and mixed the album, he and Jimmy Hogarth produced the track "Wisemen", and Linda Perry produced the final song, "No Bravery". Blunt had a part in the writing of every song on the album. The album had a slow climb in the UK Albums Chart, but eventually reached #1 in July 2005 and has since become the best-selling album of that year and of the 21st Century in Britain. It has been on the New Zealand album charts for 32 weeks and has gone #1 with a 6× Platinum certification.

The album also reached #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and subsequently broke into the top ten of the American Billboard 200 (its highest position there so far is #2). It has been certified double platinum in the United States. It has also been listed by Soundscan as the 6th best selling album for 2006 with sales of 2.14 million copies.

In Australia, it reached #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart where it's certified 8x Platinum with sales of over 560,000 copies. ARIA also certified it as the best selling album of 2006.

To date the album has sold about 15 million copies worldwide. The album also entered the Guinness Book of World Records, with most albums sold in a year in the UK, when it sold 2,368,000 copies in 2005. [ [http://express.lineone.net/news_detail.html?sku=484 Daily Express: The World's Greatest Newspaper :: News ] ] However, the album was awarded as a "worst album of the year" by the NME magazine. [ [http://news.softpedia.com/news/James-Blunt-Wins-Worst-Album-at-NME-Award-18708.shtml James Blunt Wins “Worst Album” at NME Award - It was high time this happened - Softpedia ] ]

Track listing

# "High" – 4:03 (James Blunt; Ricky Ross)
# "You're Beautiful" –– 3:33 (J. Blunt; Sacha Skarbek; Amanda Ghost)
# "Wisemen" – 3:42 (J. Blunt; Jimmy Hogarth; S. Skarbek)
# "Goodbye My Lover" – 4:18 (J. Blunt; S. Skarbek)
# "Tears & Rain" – 4:04 (J. Blunt; Guy Chambers)
# "Out of My Mind" – 3:33 (J. Blunt)
# "So Long, Jimmy" – 4:24 (J. Blunt; J. Hogarth)
# "Billy" – 3:37 (J. Blunt; S. Skarbek; A. Ghost)
# "Cry" – 4:06 (J. Blunt; S. Skarbek)
# "No Bravery" – 4:00 (J. Blunt; S. Skarbek)

(All lyrics by James Blunt; assistance on music except for "Out of My Mind", music by James Blunt)

Album information

James Blunt played a large portion of the instruments on the album, and also collaborated with several other musicians:
*Matt Chait - sample guitar, electric guitar, guitar
*Mike "Leroy" Tarantino - lead guitar, electric guitar, Mississippi guitar
*Mr. Nau - Wurlitzer, piano, Hammond, sustain guitar, backing vocals, tack piano
*Sasha Krivtsov - bass guitar, backing vocals
*C. Paxon - drums, backing vocals
*E. Gorfain and The Section - strings
*Jimmy Hogarth - acoustic guitar, keyboard
*S. Skarbek - Mid 8 Rhodes
*A. Ghost - backing vocals
*"Gumby" Goodwin - electric guitar, backing vocals, slide guitar
*G. Chambers - guitar feedback
*Tom Rothrock - backing vocals, slide guitar
*W. Vincent - bass guitar
*Linda Perry - guitar
*P. Ill - bass guitar
*B. McCloud - drums
*R. Manzarek - keyboards on "So Long, Jimmy"

Licensing of tracks

Eight of the ten songs on the album were licensed for use in television shows, movies, advertising campaigns and/or promo/trailer spots a total of 34 times. This included "Tears and Rain," "So Long Jimmy" and "Cry," tracks that had not been released as singles.cite news|last=Poletta|first=Michael|title=Beautiful and the Beat|magazine=Billboard (magazine)|date=2007-07-21|publisher=Billboard]

Charts

"Back To Bedlam" was released in October 2004. However, it didn't chart until late March 2005 (No. 56). It fell off the chart after a week, but then re-entered 2 weeks later (No. 73), but then fell off the charts again. Due to the success of its single "You're Beautiful", the album re-entered for a second time at No. 71 in late April 2005. It eventually climbed to No. 1, as did "You're Beautiful". The album stayed there for 10 non-consecutive weeks, and was the best selling album of 2005 in the UK. By the end of the year, the album had sold 2.5 million copies and was certified 8x platinum. To date the album has sold 3.0 million copies, therefore is now certified 10x Platinum in the UK.

In Canada the album has sold more than 600,000 copies, and was certified 6x platinum. [ [http://www.cria.ca/gold/0906_g.php "Canadian Recording Industry Association"] . September 2006 publication. Retrieved December 24 2006.]

Certifications, peaks and sales

succession box
before = "X&Y" by Coldplay
"Wonderland" by McFly
"First Impressions of Earth" by The Strokes
title = UK number one album
years = July 17 2005 – September 3 2005
September 12 2005 – September 18 2005
January 15 2006 – January 21 2006
after = "Wonderland" by McFly
"Life in Slow Motion" by David Gray
"Stars of CCTV" by HARD-Fisuccession box
before = "Monkey Business" by Black Eyed Peas
title = Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
years = August 29 2005 – September 25 2005
January 9 2006 – February 12 2006
April 17 2006 – May 7 2006
after = "Have a Nice Day" by Bon Jovi

References

External links

* [http://www.jamesblunt.com James Blunt Official Website]