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A Beautiful Lie

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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:

A Beautiful Lie

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  • Artist: 30 Seconds to Mars
  • Rating: StarHalf Star
  • Release Date: August 16, 2005
  • Total Time: 58:41
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album, Enhanced CD-ROM
  • Genre: Rock

Review

It's easy to take potshots at actors turned musicians, since it often seems like the actors are taking advantage of their celebrity by turning into recording stars. This ignores two facts: first, often these actors have been playing music for as long as they've been acting; and second, who's to say that these critics, if put in the same position, wouldn't take advantage of their celebrity to pursue their dream projects? In the case of 30 Seconds to Mars, the metallic post-grunge quartet led by Jared Leto (after all these years, still best-known as Jordan Catalano on the alt rock-era TV series My So-Called Life, although he has been excellent in Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream and David Fincher's Fight Club and Panic Room, as well), these actor-turned-musician arguments don't really matter since, by any measure, the band is quite awful. A melange of U2 atmospherics, grunge angst, gothic brooding, and metal guitars, the band floats out of time, inspired heavily by '90s alt rock but too clean, heavy, and facile to truly be part of that tradition, yet too indebted to the past to sound like part of the 2000s, either. Their second album, 2005's A Beautiful Lie -- whose title is uncomfortably close to Nine Inch Nails' "Terrible Lie" (and is most likely not borrowed from the Amazing Rhythm Aces' 1975 song of the same name, either) -- is a little tighter and more streamlined than their eponymous 2002 debut, but the basic angst-ridden rock remains the same. Leto isn't a terrible singer -- a little too breathy at times and a little too inclined to dive into a full-throated scream, but not terrible -- and the bandmembers are capable enough at shifting from tense quiet verses to piledriving, heavy choruses, but they borrow the worst habits from all their favorite groups, and then assemble them in insufferably earnest fashion, playing clichés as if they were revelations. It's a bleak yet hammy collection of self-absorbed gloom-rock, a record where an allusion to the title of the Cure's "Just Like Heaven" is treated as something soul-searching and profound (of course, it does hurt that A Beautiful Lie is being released just a month before "Just Like Heaven" is being borrowed for the title of a Reese Witherspoon romantic comedy). It's clear that Leto and the rest of 30 Seconds to Mars really mean it, man -- this is as earnest as an emo record gets. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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Wikipedia on Answers.com:

A Beautiful Lie

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A Beautiful Lie
Studio album by 30 Seconds to Mars
Released August 16, 2005
(See release history)
Recorded 2003—2005, Pulse Recording (Los Angeles, California);
The Laboratory (Los Angeles, California);
The Center for the Advancement of the Arts and Sciences of Sound (Alaska);
Lionhead Studios (South Africa);
Circle in the Square Studio (New York City, New York)
Genre Hard rock, emo, post-hardcore, post-grunge
Length 56:12
Label Immortal, Virgin
Producer Josh Abraham, 30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars chronology
30 Seconds to Mars
(2002)		 A Beautiful Lie
(2005)		 This Is War
(2009)
Deluxe Edition cover
Cover for the Deluxe Edition of A Beautiful Lie.
Re-release cover
Cover for the 2007 re-release of A Beautiful Lie.
Singles from A Beautiful Lie
  1. "Attack"
    Released: April 12, 2005
  2. "The Kill"
    Released: January 24, 2006
  3. "From Yesterday"
    Released: November 7, 2006
  4. "A Beautiful Lie"
    Released: December 17, 2007
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 2/5 stars[1]
Alternative Press 4/5 stars[2]
Kerrang! 4/5 stars[3]
Melodic.net 4/5 stars[4]
Q 3/5 stars[5]
Rock Sound (8/10)[6]
Rolling Stone 2/5 stars[7]
Sputnikmusic 3.5/5 stars[8]
Teraz Rock 4/5 stars[9]

A Beautiful Lie is the second album by American rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. It was released on August 30, 2005 through Virgin Records and was produced by Josh Abraham. The album produced four singles, "Attack," "The Kill," "From Yesterday," and "A Beautiful Lie"; of which three of those four singles managed to chart within the top 30 on the U.S. Modern Rock chart, with "The Kill" and "From Yesterday" entering the top three.

A Beautiful Lie differs notably from the band's self-titled debut album, both musically and lyrically. Whereas the eponymous concept album's lyrics focus on human struggle and astronomical themes,[10] A Beautiful Lie's lyrics are "personal and less cerebral." And the music, while previously atmospheric, takes on a youthful, more post-hardcore approach by introducing intense screamed vocals and deemphasizing synth effects.

Contents

History

A Beautiful Lie was recorded on four different continents in five different countries over a three-year period to accommodate lead singer Jared Leto's acting career. The album's title track, as well as three other songs, were composed in Cape Town, South Africa, where Leto was later met by his bandmates to work on the tracks. It was during this time that Leto conceived the album's title.[11] Prior to this, the album was tentatively to be released under the title The Battle of One. It was leaked onto peer-to-peer file sharing networks almost five months before its scheduled release; the version of the album that leaked was unmastered. Because of this, the band was forced to set back the album's release date.[10]

To promote A Beautiful Lie, 30 Seconds to Mars included the songs "The Battle of One" and "Hunter" (originally performed by Björk) as bonus tracks. "Golden passes" were also included with three of the special versions of the album that entitled the buyer free entrance and backstage access to any 30 Seconds to Mars show for the rest of their formation.

A Beautiful Lie sold 21,000 copies in its first week of release in the U.S. and has gone on to sell more than 1.2 million copies in the US alone.[12]

Alternative versions

Deluxe edition

On November 26, 2006 a special edition of A Beautiful Lie was released and features different artwork, a third bonus track (all versions have at least two); the UK version of the song "The Kill" entitled "The Kill (Rebirth)," and a DVD that features the music video for "The Kill", the making of the video for "The Kill," live performances and MTV2 moments involving the band.

Before production of the Deluxe Edition, the band requested that the members of the "Echelon" send in their names so that they could be thanked for their support over the years. As a result, the inside cover(s) of the Deluxe Edition contain a large list of printed fan names. In addition to this, the front cover contains a holographic image consisting of the Mithra (phoenix) and the Trinity (skulls).

2007 re-release

A Beautiful Lie was re-released in 2007, following extensive touring throughout Europe, in an attempt to expose themselves to a larger audience. The re-release is essentially the same as the original release, although includes different artwork. The album was re-released in Ireland again in November 2007, the version contains the UK version of "The Kill" and a second bonus track, and an acoustic version of the song "A Beautiful Lie" recorded live on a radio session.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Jared Leto, except "Savior", "From Yesterday" and "The Battle of One" by 30 Seconds to Mars. 

No. Title Length
1. "Attack"   3:08
2. "A Beautiful Lie"   4:05
3. "The Kill"   3:51
4. "Was It a Dream?"   4:15
5. "The Fantasy"   4:34
6. "Savior"   3:21
7. "From Yesterday"   4:07
8. "The Story"   3:55
9. "R-Evolve"   3:59
10. "A Modern Myth" (Ends at 2:59, hidden track "Praying for a Riot" begins at 12:26) 14:10
"The Kill" (2005)
Sample from 30 Seconds to Mars' "The Kill".
Problems listening to this file? See media help.
"From Yesterday" (2005)
Sample from 30 Seconds to Mars' "From Yesterday".
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

In popular culture

  • "The Kill" was featured in the January 21, 2007 Without a Trace episode, "Primed".
  • "Attack" and "The Kill" are both available as downloadable content for Rock Band.
  • "The Kill" is a playable track in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour.
  • "A Beautiful Lie", "From Yesterday" and "The Kill" are all available for download from the "SingStore", the online store for the popular games series "SingStar"
  • "Battle of One" is featured in the EA Trax of Madden NFL 07.

Personnel

30 Seconds to Mars
Additional musicians
  • Matt Serletic – piano on "The Kill"
  • Oliver Goldstein – additional synthesizer on "Attack", "From Yesterday" and "Savior"
  • String players on "A Modern Myth"
    • Caroline Campbell – violin
    • Neel Hammond – violin
    • Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – viola
    • Vanessa Freebairn-Smith – cello
Production
Additional information
  • All songs were written by Jared Leto, except "Battle of One", "From Yesterday" and "Savior" which were written by 30 Seconds to Mars
  • "Attack" mixed by Tom Lord-Alge, assisted by Femio Hernandez
  • "Attack" mixed at South Beach Studios (Miami Beach, Florida)
  • "The Battle of One" and "Hunter" produced by 30 Seconds to Mars and Brian Virtue; engineered by Brian Virtue at CRC Studios (Chicago, Illinois)
  • A&R: John Deutsch
  • Wataru Hokoyama: string arranger
  • Management: Irving Azoff Management
  • Legal: Gary Stiffelman for Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca & Fischer
  • Business management: Dian Vaughn for Loring Ward
  • U.S. booking: John Marx, John Branigan for William Morris
  • International booking: Mike Greek for Creative Artists Agency UK Ltd
  • Creative direction and design: 30 Seconds to Mars and Sean Mosher-Smith
  • Photography: Olaf Heine

Release history

Region Date Distributing label Format Version Catalog
United States[13] August 16, 2005 (Original Release Date)

August 30, 2005 (Official Release Date)

 Immortal/Virgin America Enhanced CD Original 90992
Worldwide August 30, 2005 CD/LP 9463886872
Japan[13] December 7, 2005 EMI Japan CD TOCP-66653
Europe[13] February 26, 2007 Virgin CD 3896602
Worldwide December 5, 2006 Immortal/Virgin/EMI/MTV2 CD/DVD Deluxe Edition 792672
November 26, 2007 CD/DVD Deluxe Edition (Re-release) 9463896602
Japan[13] May 28, 2008 EMI Japan CD/DVD Deluxe Edition TOCP-66785

Charts

Album

Year Country Chart Peak position[14] Certification Sales
2006 U.S. Billboard 200 36 Platinum[15] 1,200,000+[16]
2007 Australia ARIA Albums Chart 20 Gold[17] 45,000+
Canada CRIA Albums Chart 1 Gold[18] 100,000+
UK UK Albums Chart 38 Platinum[19] 300,000+
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart 20 — —
Finland Finnish Albums Chart 15 — —
Netherlands Dutch Albums Chart 31 — —
Austria Austrian Albums Chart 10 — —
Germany German Albums Chart 30 Gold[20] 100,000+
Italy[21] Italian Albums Chart 8 Platinum[19] 70,000+
2008 South Africa RISA Albums Chart 1 Gold[19] 40,000+
Worldwide sales 3,500,000+[22]

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
2005 "Attack" Modern Rock Tracks 22
Mainstream Rock Tracks 38
2006 "The Kill" Billboard Hot 100 65
Modern Rock Tracks 3
Mainstream Rock Tracks 14
"From Yesterday" Modern Rock Tracks 1
Mainstream Rock Tracks 11
Billboard Hot 100 75
2007 "A Beautiful Lie" Modern Rock Tracks 37

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "A Beautiful Lie Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r792096/review. Retrieved 2011-04-22. 
  2. ^ Heisel, Scott (March 2005). "A Beautiful Lie". Alternative Press. 
  3. ^ "30 Seconds to Mars 'A Beautiful Lie'". Kerrang!: 49. 2007-01-10. http://www.kerrang.com/blog/2007/01/kerrang_magazine_10012007.html. 
  4. ^ Roth, Kaj. "Thirty Seconds To Mars - A Beautiful lie". Melodic.net. http://www.melodic.net/?page=review&id=3541. Retrieved 2010-05-31. 
  5. ^ "A Beautiful Lie". Q: 112. February 2007. 
  6. ^ Durham, Victoria (January 2007). "30 Seconds To Mars 'A Beautiful Lie' (Virgin) 8". Rock Sound (95): 62. 
  7. ^ "30 Seconds To Mars - A Beautiful Lie". Rolling Stone. September 8, 2005. Archived from the original on October 7, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071021071546/http://rollingstone.com/reviews/album/7568304/review/7593388?utm_source=Rhapsody&utm_medium=CDreview. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  8. ^ Davey Boy (March 31, 2008). "30 Seconds To Mars - A Beautiful Lie". Sputnikmusic. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/25827/30-Seconds-to-Mars-A-Beautiful-Lie/. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  9. ^ Koziczynski, Bartek (March 31, 2008). "Thirty Seconds To Mars - A Beautiful Lie". Teraz Rock. http://terazrock.pl/cd.php?CdId=2459. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  10. ^ a b Redmon, Jess (May 2002). "30 Seconds to Mars: Welcome to their universe". Shoutweb.com: On the Record. Archived from the original on 2005-03-05. http://web.archive.org/web/20050305051947/http://www.shoutweb.com/interviews/30secondstomars0502.phtml. Retrieved 2006-04-06. 
  11. ^ "30 Seconds To Mars Official Site". Archived from the original on 17 February 2007. http://www.thirtysecondstomars.com. Retrieved 2007-02-12. 
  12. ^ Graff, Gary. "30 Seconds To Mars Plans to 'Extend the Interactivity' On Tour". billboard.com. December 17, 2009.
  13. ^ a b c d "A Beautiful Lie - Overview". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r792096. Retrieved 2009-05-13. 
  14. ^ "aCharts.us - 30 Seconds to Mars". aCharts.us. http://acharts.us/album/14055. Retrieved 2009-04-21. 
  15. ^ "Recording Industry Association of America: Gold & Platinum". RIAA. http://www.riaa.org/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=A%20beautiful%20lie&artist=30%20seconds%20to%20mars&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 2009-04-21. 
  16. ^ Harding, Courtney and Kelly Staskel. "30 Seconds To Mars Recruits Fans For 'War'" billboard.com. November 23, 2009.
  17. ^ "Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA): Gold - 2007". ARIA. 2007-12-31. Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2007Albums.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-21. 
  18. ^ "Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum - January 2007". CRIA. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. http://www.cria.ca/gold/0307_g.php. Retrieved 2009-04-21. 
  19. ^ a b c Bennett, J. (December 2009). "30 Seconds to Mars: Life During Wartime". Rock Sound (129): 53. ISSN 1465-0185. 
  20. ^ "30 Seconds To Mars: Goldene Schallplatte in Deutschland" (in German). Klatsch-tratsch.de. 2010-09-20. Archived from the original on 25 September 2010. http://klatsch-tratsch.de/2010/09/20/30-seconds-to-mars-goldene-schallplatte-in-deutschland/59169. Retrieved 2010-10-11. 
  21. ^ "Classifiche della 32° settimana del 2007 (dal 04/08/2007 al 10/08/2007)" (in Italian). Musica e Dischi. Archived from the original on 2007-08-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20070818174803/http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche.php. Retrieved 2010-06-24. 
  22. ^ "Los 40 Principales - 30 Seconds to Mars 05/04/2009". Los40Principales.com. 2009-04-05. http://www.los40principales.com.ar/nota.aspx?id=806010. Retrieved 2009-04-21. 

External links

30 Seconds to Mars
Studio albums
Extended plays
Tours
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People

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