Back to Bedlam

Back to Bedlam
Studio album by James Blunt
Released	11 October 2004 (2004-10-11) (UK) 18 April 2005 (2005-04-18) (Germany)
Genre	Pop rock, folk rock
Length	39:28
Label	Atlantic, Custard
Producer	Tom Rothrock, Linda Perry
James Blunt chronology
Back to Bedlam (2004) All the Lost Souls (2007)
Singles from Back to Bedlam
"High" Released: 18 October 2004 "Wisemen" Released: 7 March 2005 "You're Beautiful" Released: 30 May 2005 "Goodbye My Lover" Released: 16 November 2005
Alternative cover
2005 reissue cover[1]

	"Goodbye My Lover" James Blunt's "Goodbye My Lover" from Back to Bedlam
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Back to Bedlam is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter James Blunt. The album was released on 11 October 2004 through Atlantic Records.^[2] The album was a major commercial success, topping the albums charts of over ten countries, as well as reaching number two in the United States and three other countries,^[3] and was met with much acclaim. Back to Bedlam sold 11 million copies worldwide^[4] and was the highest-selling album of 2005 in the UK with almost 2.4 million copies.^[5] It is the best-selling album of the 2000s decade in the UK with 3.2 million sold. In 2011, it was overtaken by the Amy Winehouse's Back to Black as the biggest-selling album in the UK in the 21st century.^[6] Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back To Black’ becomes UK’s biggest-selling album of the 21st century. Back to Bedlam currently ranks as the 16th best-selling album in UK Chart history. The named is based on the infamous Psychiatric institution of Bethlem Royal Hospital, commonly known as Bedlam.

Licensing of tracks

Eight of the ten songs on the album were licensed for use in television shows, movies, advertising campaigns and trailers, a total of 34 times. This included "Tears and Rain", "So Long Jimmy" and "Cry", tracks that had not been released as singles.^[7] The album was the best-selling album of the decade 2000-2009 in the UK.^[8]

Reception

Despite no reviews from major critics being published upon release, the album later went on to earn much acclaim.

Q magazine and Common Sense Media awarded the album four stars out of five.^[9][10]

RocknWorld stated "It's hard to describe James Blunt or his music without falling prey to many a cliché or hyperbole. Comes from the UK, serves in the army then makes an album of movingly sincere ballads which make a huge impression on his homeland and Australia, thus allowing him to enjoy phenomenal, chart topping success. However, in this case, the music Blunt is making does really deserve and warrant the hype surrounding him. Strangely enough, even with his music being all over the radio here in Australia, I cannot begrudge the fact that Blunt is truly talented and has made himself a damn good debut record."^[11]

BBC collective said "It's very rare I give an album 5 stars. Many have come close, but just missing it. I never thought i would say this, but 'Back To Bedlam' has not got one bad track on it. I've listened to it 3 times back to back, just to make sure."^[12]

Slant Magazine said, in a three and a half star review, that "Bedlam is an overall raw listening experience" and that though "Blunt's writing often juxtaposes love with death" that it's "More reason for American girls to go gaga over this able British bloke."^[13]

Allmusic felt "...the Soulful British crooner James Blunt's wistful debut infuses the listener — in order — with rainy-day hope, the wistful comfort of unattainable love, and finally, world-weary resignation. While his parched and effeminate falsetto recalls Gasoline Alley-era Rod Stewart with a healthy dose of Antony and the Johnsons, it's the late Elliott Smith who casts the largest shadow on Back to Bedlam."^[14]

Indie London praised the album, and went on to call it "...a masterful debut and one which you mustn't allow to pass you by."^[15]

About.com said, in a 4 star review that "To aptly describe James Blunt’s music in his debut album Back to Bedlam, it would be an injustice to ignore the backdrop of his past and its relation to his music – in fact it’s impossible to do so" and gave praise to the songs which they called "Hauntingly captivating, his words paint the pictures of many stories lived, masterly recited through his songs. Back to Bedlam seems not so much a pop compilation as it does a reflection of a life through the art of music."^[16]

Relevant gave a similar review, and compared his work to the likes of Elliott Smith, calling it "endearingly honest" and continued "...like any great writer, he invites the reader, or in this case, the listener, into the intimate details of life that resonate with most anyone. Combine such candid writing with a voice one interviewer has called “disgustingly gorgeous,” and you have a recipe for musical addiction. Blunt’s talents have earned the endorsement of Elton John and led to comparisons with John’s early work, as well as the late Elliott Smith."^[17]

Track listing

Charts and certifications

Personnel

Musicians

• James Blunt – lead vocals on all tracks; guitar on tracks 1, 5, 6 and 9; organ on tracks 3, 4, 6 and 9; piano on tracks 4, 5 and 10; Wurlitzer electric piano on tracks 5, 6 and 7; acoustic guitar on tracks 2 and 7; Rhodes piano on tracks 3 and 4; keyboards and marimba on track 1; classical guitar on track 3; twelve-string guitar on track 4; church organ on track 5; backing vocals on track 6; grand piano on track 8; mellotron on track 9
• Sasha Kristov – bass on all tracks except 4, 7 and 10; backing vocals on track 6
• Charlie Paxon – drums on all tracks except 10; backing vocals on track 6
• John Nau – Hammond organ on tracks 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8; Wurlitzer electric piano on tracks 1, 3, 8 and 9; piano on track 2; guitar sustain on track 4; backing vocals on track 6; tack piano on track 8
• Eric Gorfain – strings on track 2, 4 and 5
• The Section – strings on tracks 2, 4 and 5
• John "Gumby" Goodwin – electric guitar on track 3; backing vocals on track 6; slide guitar solo on track 7
• Matt Chait – guitar sample on track 4; electric guitar on track 7; guitar on track 8
• Jimmy Hogarth – acoustic guitar and keyboards on track 3
• Sacha Skarbek – Rhodes piano on track 3
• Amanda Ghost – backing vocals on track 3
• Guy Chambers – guitar feedback on track 5
• Tom Rothrock – backing vocals on track 6
• W. Vincent – bass on track 8
• The Producer – slide guitar on track 9
• Linda Perry – guitar and production on track 10
• P. III – bass on track 10
• Brian McCloud – drums on track 10

Production personnel

• Tom Rothrock – production, mixing
• Mike Tarantino – engineering; lead guitar on track 1; electric guitar on track 2; Mississippi guitar on track 7
• David Guerrero – engineering on track 10
• John Morrical – engineering assistance
• Andrew Chavez – engineering assistance on track 10
• Don Tyler – mastering

See also

• List of best-selling albums in the United Kingdom
• Top best-selling albums by UK Chart

References