A Lesson In... 2.23.10: Lostprophets
Posted by Alistair McGeorge on 02.23.2010
After a 5-part look at Queen, Alistair McGeorge goes back to regular proceedings with an alternative rock band with a much shorter career. This week, come inside for A Lesson In...Lostprophets.
Thanks for joining me for another week with A Lesson In..., as always I'm Alistair McGeorge. I spent the last five editions of this column looking at my favorite band of all-time, and had a blast writing all the parts of it. That said, there were a fair few comments on the Top 15 Queen Songs edition, so we'll crack on to the feedback, but first….STOP!
It's banner time.
Feedback
First up, we have Guest#1145, who made a suggestion…
Would have put Princes of the Universe there somewhere. Otherwise, great list.
Firstly, thank you to anyone who read the column, and also thanks to our commenters this week. Now, "Princes of the Universe" was close to going in, but as I said last week, I couldn't not put "Who Wants To Live Forever" on the list. It is a great, powerful song, but it did just miss out. Up next was chAd_b, who had an epiphany...
Now I want to watch Flash Gordon and Highlander!
I'll admit now, I've not actually seen either of these films. Terrible, I know, but there we go. Maybe I'll get round to it someday, but for now I'm reading a blunt suggestion from Paul Smith...
Two words – Ogre Battle.
This was one of a few glaring omissions on my part, but the nature of the way I was doing the list (just one song from each album) limited which songs could make it. "Ogre Battle" was on my shortlist for Queen II, alongside "Some Day, One Day" and "The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke". We go from pleasant suggestions to blunt criticisms now with the bravely-named guest...
I understand this is you personal opinion and you are entitled to it but after seeing your picks I'm pretty certain you shouldn't even be writing a column about Queen
Is there a reason for this in particular? If a list made up of less-than-obvious choices doesn't display a decent depth of knowledge of the band's career and catalogue, then I'm not sure what would do. Feel free to comment again this week with some constructive comments and it'll all be taken on board. As it is, I spent 5 weeks researching and writing about the band I've been listening to for the best part of 9 years. I'd also have a guess that it's down to our lovely editors here at 411Mania to decide what I should and shouldn't be writing about. Thank you for the hits though, they do make me look good.
Apologies for my little rant there, but that comment did set me off a bit. Moving on now to Mr the D...
Not bad, not bad..personally think Spread Your Wings should have been WAY up this list but pretty good overall.
I knew I'd forget something. Looking back, I really don't know why "Sheer Heart Attack" got the final nod, because this was always one of my favorites from News of the World. Onto another mistake I made (and sneakily edited after it was brought to my attention), as well as a good suggestion from guest…
It's ROGER Taylor and not RODGER Taylor.
Otherwise a great list, but I miss
You Take My Breathe Away from A Day At The Races in the list!
Greets!
It's not an excuse, but I was running on virtually no sleep, after missing two weeks of deadlines for 411Mania, so I was just trying to get the column written for by the deadline. I should've proof-read, so thanks for bringing it up. Also, I agree with "You Take My Breath Away" being a song that possibly should've been on there. "Millionaire Waltz" has just always been a personal favorite, and it got the nod over a few brilliant songs from A Day At The Races. Just two more left, so we'll head right onto Mav…
Some inspired choices here. I'd have to add I Want It All and These Are the Days of Our Lives but that's just me.
Greatest...band...ever.
"Inspired choices"? A compliment...in the comments section? I must be doing this whole writing lark incorrectly, I'm sure lists are meant to be condemned for openly expressing personal opinions. What d'ya know, some people can appreciate it. Thank you for reading, and, again, two good choices that could easily have been on the list. Onto the last comment of the week, with Anonymous…
Save Me is the best queen song ever. And btw It's Late from News of the World should be on here. It actually needs to be. Its the most underrated song in history.
Whilst I disagree with "Save Me" being the best Queen song ever (I've constantly shared opinions on "Sail Away Sweet Sister", although "Save Me" is a still a great track), I'm kicking myself for missing off "It's Late". Along with "Spread Your Wings", I'll admit that "Sheer Heart Attack" really shouldn't have been on the final list. Ah, the benefit of hindsight.
Anyway, with that said, it's time for this week's Lesson, which starts in Wales in 1997…
Here Comes The Party
Before we get into the column, Wikipedia has a nice handy list of the line-up for Lostprophets through the various stage of their career. As I'm writing this 7 hours before deadline (with a pile of university work to start once I'm finished), I'm gonna go with the slightly easier option of providing this list here, in case the change will be skipped over in the main body of the column. After the first line-up, I'll just put any changes in the list, so that it doesn't get ridiculous. So, here we are…
1997–1998 (as Lozt Prophetz) Ian Watkins – vocals Lee Gaze – guitar Mike Lewis – bass Mike Chiplin – drums, percussion
1998–1999 (as Lozt Prophetz) Mike Lewis – rhythm guitar Stuart Richardson – bass
1999–2000 (as Lostprophets) DJ Stepzak – turntables, samples
2000–2005 Jamie Oliver – synth, turntables, samples, backing vocals
2006–2009 Ilan Rubin – drums, percussion
2009–present Luke Johnson – drums, percussion
With that out of the way, let's just have a musical interlude…
The band were formed in 1997 just 12 miles north of Cardiff, Wales, with two then-members of Public Disturbance (Watkins and Lewis). The original line-up was completed by Lee Gaze and Mike Chiplin. Over the next few years, the band toured around the UK, and worked on three demos. All three are out of print (although I have a copy of the first two), but one would include three tracks that appeared on their debut album.
The first two (Here Comes The Party and Para Todas las Puertas Celosas 2) have a very gritty, hardcore sound, with tracks like "Wyseguy" showing what to expect from Lostprophets' debut. "The Fake Sound of Progress", "MOAC Supreme" and "Stopquote" were re-recorded for their eventual first album, although the latter two were renamed for that release (becoming "A Thousand Apologies" and "Awkward").
1999 saw the sextet sign an independent deal with Visible Noise, who put out Lostprophets' debut album the following year…
"Still Laughing"
The Fake Sound of Progress was released on November 27 2000, but saw a re-released and re-recording the following year. In 2001, it had charted at #186 and 44 in the Billboard 200 and UK Album Chart respectively, failing to make any big impact. Whilst it is a favorite of older fans, the band themselves feel that the album (recording over just 2 weeks and originally intended to be a demo) doesn't really showcase fully the talent present.
Two singles were released from the album, "Shinobi Vs. Dragon Ninja" and the title track. The former made a small impact in the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart, peaking at a fairly impressive #33. In the UK, it would peak at #41 in the Singles Chart here. The title track actually saw a more successful release (peaking at #31), but despite this, "Shinobi Vs. Dragon Ninja" is one of the only songs from the debut that is still performed live.
The Fake Sound of Progress is a much better album than the band would have you think. It's just a non-stop hardcore/nu-metal onslaught with some killers riffs and brilliant hardcore vocals. Honestly, whatever people want to say about the direction ‘Prophets went in on later albums, the talent on display here can't really be denied. From the singles and "Kobrakai" to "…And She Told Me To Leave", "Ode To Summer" and "The Handsome Life of Swing", it's a fantastic, heavy-as-hell debut that showed great promise. Here's a look at "Kobrakai"…
The following year or two saw the band sign with Columbia in the U.S., who put out a re-mastered version of the debut. ‘Prophets began to get a good live reputation during this period, supporting the likes of Deftones and Linkin Park. The lads also did a few headline shows of their own, as well as co-headlining the Deconstruction Tour, with support from the likes of Mad Caddies. 2002 also saw them perform at Glastonbury and Leeds and Reading Festival.
After finishing off touring, Lostprophets took a short break and began to write material for their sophomore effort. Recording began in L.A. in March 2003, lasting until September of the same year. During this period, they worked with Eric Valentine, who has produced albums for bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Good Charlotte.
Let's go, the only way we know…
Two singles were released before the album, being "Burn Burn" (November 2003) and "Last Train Home" (January 2004). The former peaked at an impressive #17 in the UK Singles Chart, with the latter reaching great heights for a band at this stage in their career. "Last Train Home" would top the Alternative Songs chart in the U.S., whilst reaching the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart with a peak position of #8.
Start Something was released on February 2, peaking #4 in the UK Album Charts and reaching #33 in the U.S. Billboard 200. By May 3, "Make A Move" (later renamed "Wake Up (Make A Move)" was released as a single, reaching #18 and 9 in the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks Chart respectively. This was followed in August with "Last Summer", which has since become one of the bands biggest hits in the UK. It failed to make an impact in the States, but reached a #13 spot on the band's native soil.
The next single from Start Something was "Goodbye Tonight", which was comparatively less successful than previous releases, only charting at #44 in the UK Singles Chart. It was followed by radio-only single "I Don't Know", which saw a peak position of #11 in the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Whilst the album is a lot less "raw" at times than The Fake Sound of Progress, Start Something is a brilliant second effort that saw Lostprophets' star begin to rise. Tracks like "Last Train Home" and "Last Summer" became big hits for the band, but songs like "We Are Godzilla, You Are Japan" (omitted from the U.S. release of the album) showed that the heavier side to the band was still there. Because of the latter being left out of the U.S. release of Start Something, I'd guess not everyone will have heard it before, so here we go…
What followed the album released was an international tour, culminating on November 21 2004 in their (sort of) hometown of Cardiff. I'll say it now, I know the band are from Pontypridd, but I doubt many UK readers would know where that is, let alone our friends over in the States.
On June 19 2005, Mike Chiplin left the band to pursue other musical ventures. When work began on Lostprophets' third studio album, Ian Watkins initially demoed the drum parts for the songs. As with their previous album, the group began work on the album in the UK, before completing it in the States.
Josh Freese (session drummer, and drummer for The Vandals) recorded 10 of the 12 songs for the album, with eventual new drummer Ilan Rubin (only 17 at the time) recording "Everybody's Screaming!!!" and "For All These Times Son, For All These Times". Before the album's release in June, the band played more live shows, ranging from intimate club shows in South Wales to a co-headline spot with My Chemical Romance for Give It A Name (a two-day arena "festival" here in the UK).
I'm never gonna regret watching every sunset…
On June 26 2006 Liberation Transmission was released. Whilst it peaked at #33 in the Billboard 200, it went straight in at #1in the UK Album Charts, the first of the band's albums to do so. It has also since been certified Gold in the UK and was in the 100 best selling albums of 2006, at #94.
Just before Liberation Transmission came out, "Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)" was the first single, peaking at #8 in the UK Singles Chart and matching the success of "Last Train Home". On September 11 2008, A Town Called Hypocrisy" became the second single, but didn't see the same success. Despite a catchy and memorable video, it only peaked at #23 in the UK Singles Chart. "Can't Catch Tomorrow (Good Shoes Won't Save You This Time)" followed it, only reaching #35 in the same chart. April 2007 saw "4:AM Forever" improve on this by one spot, peaking at #34.
The album saw the band's style shift towards a more arena-rock style, with the gritty heaviness of The Fake Sound of Progress all but lost. It's not a bad release, but it felt like a band trying to make it big rather than sticking to what brought them to the dance. Here's a look at "Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)", which has been used by World Wrestling Entertainment on a number of occasions in their video packages for former WWE Champion Jeff Hardy…
More touring followed, but the band began work on their fourth album in 2007. However, Lostprophets were not pleased with the material they recorded with John Feldmann, and an album's worth of material was scrapped. By November 2008 ‘Prophets began work on what would eventually become their fourth studio release. In 2009, Rubin left the band to join Nine Inch Nails, and was replaced by Luke Johnson.
"It's Not The End of the World, But I Can See It From Here" was released in October last year as the first single from the upcoming album. It reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart, a great improvement on the chart performances from the singles from Liberation Transmission. "Where We Belong" followed it last month, and peaked at #32 and 1 in the UK Singles and Rock charts respectively.
Start a brand new story…
The Betrayed finally saw its release on January 13 this year, and reached #3 in the UK Album Charts. The album is another step away from Lostprophets' earlier sound, although it is admittedly at least darker than Liberation Transmission.
I saw the guys live a week or so ago, and it was my first proper exposure to the new material. Honestly, I'm still not impressed. A live environment is where music usually excels for me, but it just fell flat compared to the earlier material. "Dstryr/Dstryr" and "For He's A Jolly Good Felon" are two highlights, but most of it falls flat compared to their first three efforts, particularly Start Something and The Fake Sound of Progress.
Grading…Lostprophets
Writing this column has given me a realization- I'm not as big a fan of Lostprophets as I thought. Of the three times I've seen them live since 2007, the two festival dates left me speechless, but their headline show last week left a lot to be desired. Even on record, it turns out there's just a handful of songs off each album I really enjoy. There's a lot more on the first two records, but from Liberation Transmission it kinda trails off for me over the last two albums. It's clichéd and cool to say that you like a band's earlier material and hate the new stuff, but it's my honest opinion with ‘Prophets, unfortunately.
That does us for another week, I'll be back next Tuesday with another look at a band's career. Until then...only watch this if you're not easily offended, as the humor isn't for everyone.
