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Out of Exile

 
Album Review: Out of Exile

  • Artist: Audioslave
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: May 24, 2005
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Given that most supergroups last little longer than a single album, it was easy to assume that Audioslave -- the pairing of Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell and the instrumental trio at the core of Rage Against the Machine -- was a one-off venture. That suspicion was given weight by their eponymous 2002 debut, which sounded as if Cornell wrote melodies and lyrics to tracks RATM wrote after the departure of Zack de la Rocha, but any lingering doubts about Audioslave being a genuine rock band are vanished by their 2005 second album, Out of Exile. Unlike the first record, Out of Exile sounds like the product of a genuine band, where all four members of the band contribute equally to achieve a distinctive, unified personality. It's still possible to hear elements of both Rage and Soundgarden here, but the two parts fuse relatively seamlessly, and there's a confidence to the band that stands in direct contrast to the halting, clumsy attack on the debut. A large part of the success of Out of Exile is due to the songs, which may be credited to the entire group but are clearly under the direction of Cornell, sounding much closer to his past work than anything in Rage's catalog. Even the simple riff-driven rockers are tightly constructed songs with melodies and dramatic tension -- they lead somewhere instead of running in circles -- while the ballads have a moody grace and there's the occasional left-field surprise like the sunny, sweet psych-pop gem "Dandelion"; it's the strongest set of songs Cornell has written in a decade. Which is not to say that Out of Exile is without excesses, but they're almost all from guitarist Tom Morello; his playing can still seem laborious, particularly when he clutters single-string riffs with too many notes (the otherwise fine opener, "Your Time Has Come," suffers from this), and his elastic stomp box excursions verge on self-parody on occasion. Still, these are isolated moments on an album that's otherwise lean, hard, strong, and memorable, a record that finds Audioslave coming into its own as a real rock band. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Your Time Has Come (Lyrics) Chris Cornell, Audioslave Audioslave (4:15)
Out of Exile (Lyrics) Chris Cornell, Audioslave Audioslave (4:51)
Be Yourself (Lyrics) Chris Cornell, Audioslave Audioslave (4:39)
Doesn't Remind Me (Lyrics) Chris Cornell, Audioslave Audioslave (4:15)
Drown Me Slowly (Lyrics) Chris Cornell, Audioslave Audioslave (3:53)
Heaven's Dead (Lyrics) Chris Cornell, Audioslave Audioslave (4:36)
The Worm Chris Cornell, Audioslave Audioslave (3:57)
Man or Animal (Lyrics) Chris Cornell, Audioslave Audioslave (3:53)
Yesterday to Tomorrow (Lyrics) Chris Cornell, Audioslave Audioslave (4:33)
Dandelion (Lyrics) Chris Cornell, Audioslave Audioslave (4:38)
#1 Zero (Lyrics) Chris Cornell, Audioslave Audioslave (4:59)
The Curse Chris Cornell, Audioslave Audioslave (5:09)

Credits

Chris Cornell (Vocals), Chris Cornell (Group Member), Stephen Marcussen (Mastering), Billy Mims (Assistant), Tom Morello (Guitar), Tom Morello (Group Member), Brendan O'Brien (Mixing), Rick Rubin (Producer), Thom Russo (Engineer), Jim Scott (Engineer), Tim Commerford (Bass), Tim Commerford (Group Member), Brian Virtue (Engineer), Brad Wilk (Drums), Brad Wilk (Group Member), Billy Bowers (Engineer), Dan Leffler (Assistant), Jonny Polonsky (Assistant), Ethan Russell (Photography), Robert Fisher (Art Direction), Lindsay Chase (Coordination), Jason Gossman (Assistant), Antony Nagelmann (Cover Art)
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Wikipedia: Out of Exile
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Out of Exile
Studio album by Audioslave
Released May 23, 2005 (Europe)
May 24, 2005 (USA)
Recorded July 2004 – January 2005 at Cello Studios, Hollywood, CA; Akadamie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research, Los Angeles, CA and Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, CA
Genre Hard rock
Length 53:38
Label Epic (US), Interscope (non-US)
B0004603-02
Producer Rick Rubin, Audioslave
Professional reviews
Audioslave chronology
Audioslave
(2002)
Out of Exile
(2005)
Revelations
(2006)
Singles from Out Of Exile
  1. "Out of Exile"
    Released: May 24, 2005
  2. "Be Yourself"
    Released: June 2, 2005
  3. "Your Time Has Come"
    Released: October 27, 2005
  4. "Doesn't Remind Me"
    Released: October 31, 2005

Out of Exile is the second studio album by the American hard rock band Audioslave, first released on May 23, 2005 internationally and a day later in the United States. It is the band's first and only number one album on the Billboard 200. Four singles were released: "Be Yourself", "Your Time Has Come", "Doesn't Remind Me", and "Out of Exile". "Doesn't Remind Me" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 2006 Grammy Awards.

Contents

Background

Drummer Brad Wilk explained: "Audioslave the band has arrived. The first record was people from two other bands with history attached. I don't feel that with this record."[1] Chris Cornell admitted to writing his most personal songs ever on this album, influenced by the positive changes in his life since 2002.[2] He also described the album as more varied than the debut and relying less on heavy guitar riffs.[3]

On May 6, 2005, Audioslave played a free show in Havana, Cuba.[4] Audioslave became the first American rock group to perform a concert in Cuba, playing in front of an audience of 70,000.[5] The band traveled to Havana on May 4 to interact with Cuban musicians.[6] Cornell commented: "Hopefully, this concert will help to open the musical borders between our two countries." The 26-song set concert was the longest the band had ever played.[7] Many songs from Out of Exile were performed at the concert, held three weeks prior to the release date, making these the first live performances of the tracks from this album. The concert was documented on the Live in Cuba DVD released in October of the same year.

Reception

Out of Exile was released in May 2005 and debuted at number one on the U.S. charts. The album has since gone on to achieve platinum status. The album features the singles "Out of Exile", "Be Yourself", "Your Time Has Come", and "Doesn't Remind Me".

Critical response was mostly warm, highlighting the fact that the band was working towards defining its own sound, as opposed to just Rage Against the Machine fronted by Cornell. Critics initially described Audioslave as an amalgamation of Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden,[8] but by the band's second album, Out of Exile, noted that they had established a separate identity. The album was received more favorably than Audioslave's debut; critics noted Cornell's stronger vocals, likely the result of quitting smoking and drinking,[9] and pointed out that Out of Exile is "the sound of a band coming into its own."[10] Allmusic praised the album as "lean, hard, strong, and memorable."[11] The lyrics, however, were still a common complaint; musicOMH.com wrote that Cornell's lyrics "continue to border on the ridiculous."[12] The album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.

Track listing

All lyrics by Chris Cornell, with music written and arranged by Audioslave.

  1. "Your Time Has Come" – 4:15
  2. "Out of Exile" – 4:51 AUDIOSLAVE-outofexile.ogg Listen
  3. "Be Yourself" – 4:39 Audioslave - Be Yourself.ogg Listen
  4. "Doesn't Remind Me" – 4:15
  5. "Drown Me Slowly" – 3:53
  6. "Heaven's Dead" – 4:36
  7. "The Worm" – 3:57
  8. "Man or Animal" – 3:53
  9. "Yesterday to Tomorrow" – 4:33
  10. "Dandelion" – 4:38
  11. "#1 Zero" – 4:59
  12. "The Curse" – 5:09

B-Sides

  • "Super Stupid" – 3:27 (Japanese bonus track)
  • "Like a Stone" (live) – 4:24 (UK & Japanese bonus track)

Personnel

Line-up

Additional personnel

  • Lindsay Chase – coordination
  • Jason Gossman – assistant
  • Dan Leffler – assistant
  • Billy Mims – assistant
  • Jonny Polonsky – Assistant
  • Thom Russo – engineer
  • Jim Scott – engineer
  • Brian Virtue – engineer

Chart positions

Album

Year Album name Chart Position
2005 Out of Exile The Billboard 200 1
2005 Out of Exile Top Canadian Albums 1
2005 Out of Exile Top Internet Albums 1

Singles

Year Track name Chart Position
2005 "Be Yourself" The Billboard Hot 100 32
2005 "Be Yourself" Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
2005 "Be Yourself" Hot Digital Songs 13
2005 "Be Yourself" Modern Rock Tracks 1
2005 "Be Yourself" Pop 100 33
2005 "Your Time Has Come" Mainstream Rock Tracks 12
2005 "Your Time Has Come" Modern Rock Tracks 12
2005 "Your Time Has Come" Pop 100 93
2005 "Doesn't Remind Me" The Billboard Hot 100 68
2005 "Doesn't Remind Me" Hot Digital Songs 66
2005 "Doesn't Remind Me" Pop 100 75
2005 "Doesn't Remind Me" Mainstream Rock Tracks 2
2005 "Doesn't Remind Me" Modern Rock Tracks 3
2006 "Out of Exile" Mainstream Rock Tracks 9
2006 "Out of Exile" Modern Rock Tracks 14

References

  1. ^ "Blabbermouth.net - AUDIOSLAVE Has Finally Arrived". Blabbermouth.net. 2005-03-14. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=3415050408. Retrieved 2007-05-17. 
  2. ^ "Audioslave Singer Says New Album Will Be 'One Of The Best Rock Records Ever' Made". Blabbermouth.net. 2005-04-12. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=35360. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
  3. ^ Sculley, Alan. "A Career in Slavery". San Diego CityBeat. http://www.sdcitybeat.com/article.php?id=3132. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
  4. ^ Fraenkel, Jim; Corey, Moss (2005-05-07). "Audioslave Slay Havana With Historic Show". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1501463/20050507/audioslave.jhtml. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
  5. ^ "Audioslave visits Cuba for concert and documentary". Ithaca College. http://www.ithaca.edu/ithacan/articles/0511/03/accent/6audioslav.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-21. 
  6. ^ Grigoriadis, Vanessa (2005-05-10). "Airborne With Audioslave". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/chriscornell/articles/story/7295592/airborne_with_audioslave. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
  7. ^ Hastings, John (2005-05-06). "AOL Journal - BCP Periscope - Audioslave in Cuba". AOL. http://journals.aol.com/bloomingtoncp/news/entries/2005/05/06/audioslave-in-cuba/1924. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
  8. ^ Roberts, Michael (2003-07-16). "Slave New World". Cleveland Scene. http://www.clevescene.com/2003-07-16/music/slave-new-world. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
  9. ^ Scaggs, Austin (2005-07-14). "Q&A: Chris Cornell". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7482813/qa_chris_cornell. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
  10. ^ Shetler, Scott (2005). "Music Review: Audioslave: Out Of Exile". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=591. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
  11. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Out of Exile Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gxfyxqlsldhe~T1. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
  12. ^ Bansal, Vik (2005). "Audioslave - Out Of Exile : album review". MusicOMH. http://www.musicomh.com/albums/audioslave.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-25. 
Preceded by
Mezmerize by System of a Down
Billboard 200 number-one album
June 5, 2005 - June 11, 2005
Succeeded by
The Emancipation of Mimi by Mariah Carey

 
 
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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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