| West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum | ||||||||||
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| Studio album by Kasabian | ||||||||||
| Released | June 5, 2009 | |||||||||
| Genre | Electronica neo-psychedelia indie rock |
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| Length | 51:59 | |||||||||
| Label | RCA / Columbia | |||||||||
| Producer | Dan the Automator | |||||||||
| Professional reviews | ||||||||||
| Kasabian chronology | ||||||||||
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West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is the third studio album by English Indie rock band Kasabian, which was released on 5th June 2009.
"Vlad the Impaler" was made available as a free download from the official website from 31st March to 3rd April 2009. The first proper, physical release from the album was "Fire", which was released on the 1st of June.[1]
Sergio Pizzorno has called the 52-minute album "the soundtrack to an imaginary movie."[2]
Opening with the track "Underdog", the album also includes a duet, on the track "West Ryder Silver Bullet", with the actress Rosario Dawson.[2]
The album cover depicts the band "getting dressed up for a party at the asylum, looking in the mirror at the costumes". Inspiration for such cover originated from the artwork of Amon Düül II's album Made In Germany.[3]
The album entered the UK Album Chart at #1, giving the band their second #1 album. It remained at the top of the charts for several weeks, only knocked off by the sharp increase in sales of Michael Jackson albums following his death.
The album was nominated for the 2009 Mercury Prize. In October 2009 it was voted the best album of the year by Q Magazine.
Contents |
Album title
West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum was a mental institution built in Stanley, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England in the 1800s. The hospital is often mistaken with High Royds Hospital in Leeds.[4] Sergio Pizzorno further explained the choice of album title: "The album isn't about the place, I just first heard about it on a TV documentary, and the words just struck me. I love the way it looked and the feeling it evokes. Apparently, it was one of the first loony bins for the poor, before that it was mainly rich people who got treatment."[3]
Additional information
"Underdog" has been used by Sony in a commercial for their BRAVIA Televisions. The advert also features Real Madrid and Brazilian football player Kaká while he was with his former team AC Milan wearing their home kit.[5]
In an interview with T4 the band stated that each track is meant to represent an inmate within the asylum. This is also the reasoning behind the selected clothing on the album's cover.[citation needed]
Track listing
All tracks written by Sergio Pizzorno, except Track 10 written by Pizzorno and Helmut Zacharias.
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Underdog" | 4:37 |
| 2. | "Where Did All the Love Go?" | 4:17 |
| 3. | "Swarfiga" | 2:18 |
| 4. | "Fast Fuse" | 4:10 |
| 5. | "Take Aim" | 5:23 |
| 6. | "Thick as Thieves" | 3:06 |
| 7. | "West Ryder Silver Bullet" (feat. Rosario Dawson) | 5:15 |
| 8. | "Vlad the Impaler" | 4:44 |
| 9. | "Ladies and Gentlemen, Roll the Dice" | 3:33 |
| 10. | "Secret Alphabets" | 5:07 |
| 11. | "Fire" | 4:13 |
| 12. | "Happiness" | 5:16 |
| 13. | "Runaway (live)" (Japan only bonus track) | 4:09 |
| 14. | "Cunny Grope Lane" (iTunes pre-order & Japan bonus track) | 3:12 |
| 15. | "Road Kill Café" (Japan only bonus track) | 2:39 |
| Special Edition Bonus DVD | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Processed Beats" (Live From The Little Noise Sessions) | 4:05 | |||||||
| 2. | "Black Whistler" (Live From The Little Noise Sessions) | 4:00 | |||||||
| 3. | "ID" (Live From The Little Noise Sessions) | 3:59 | |||||||
| 4. | "Me Plus One" (Live From The Little Noise Sessions) | 3:06 | |||||||
| 5. | "Doberman" (Live From The Little Noise Sessions) | 5:12 | |||||||
| 6. | "Runaway" (Live From The Little Noise Sessions) | 3:45 | |||||||
| 7. | "Thick as Thieves" (Live From The Royal Albert Hall For Teenage Cancer Trust) | 3:26 | |||||||
| 8. | "Fast Fuse" (Live From The Royal Albert Hall For Teenage Cancer Trust) | 4:06 | |||||||
| 9. | "Clubfoot" (Live From The Royal Albert Hall For Teenage Cancer Trust) | 4:44 | |||||||
| 10. | "LSF" (Live From The Royal Albert Hall For Teenage Cancer Trust) | 7:21 | |||||||
| 11. | "Vlad the Impaler" (Video) | ||||||||
| 12. | "Vlad the Impaler" (The Making Of) | ||||||||
| 13. | "Fire" (Music Film) | ||||||||
| Japan Only Bonus CD | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Shoot the Runner" (live at iTunes Festival) | ||||||||
| 2. | "Empire" (live at iTunes Festival) | ||||||||
| 3. | "Stuntman" (live at iTunes Festival) | ||||||||
| 4. | "The Doberman" (live at iTunes Festival) | ||||||||
| 5. | "Club Foot" (live at iTunes Festival) | ||||||||
| 6. | "LSF" (live at iTunes Festival) | ||||||||
Singles and videos
 |
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2009) |
- "Fast Fuse" – Released on the 2nd of October 2007 as a bootleg single. Although not being the first official single from the album it was the first material released from it, receiving airplay on Xfm, Absolute Radio and being posted on YouTube. Members of Kasabian's fan club at the time could buy the song on a one sided 10". Despite receiving some airplay and a limited release it never had a video. It was also used on the video game FIFA 09.
- "Vlad the Impaler" – Released as a free single on the 31st of March 2009 to the 3rd of April 2009. The song only got minor airplay. The song was released with a video featuring Noel Fielding.
- "Fire" – Released as the first official single on June 1st. It was A listed on most radio stations and hit number 3 on the UK singles chart. It also hit number 1 on the UK iTunes charts.
- "Underdog" – Due to be released on October 26, 2009 and had reached #32 in the UK Singles Chart via download sales alone.
- "Where Did All the Love Go?" – Released on 17th August 2009, the song was the second official single charting at 30 in the UK charts. A music video has been released to support the single.
References
- ^ http://blog.kasabian.co.uk/post/89685282/vlad-the-impaler-free-download
- ^ a b http://www.edenproject.com/sessions/kasabian-gig-tickets.php
- ^ a b "Kasabian reveal why they called album 'West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum'". NME. 12 June 2009. http://www.nme.com/news/kasabian/45282. Retrieved 2009-06-13.
- ^ Kelly, Brad (6 March 2009). "Kasabian Take One Way Ticket To Lunatic Asylum". strangeglue.com. http://strangeglue.com/news/kasabian-take-one-way-ticket-to-lunatic-asylum/10003808. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ "new BRAVIA ad from Sony featuring Kaká, with music by Kasabian and their new track Underdog.". Bravia. 28 February 2009. http://www.tvadmusic.co.uk/2009/02/sony-bravia-in-motion-with-kaka/. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
External links
- West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum at Metacritic
- www.highroydshospital.co.uk
- www.stanleyroydhospital.co.uk
| Preceded by Sunny Side Up by Paolo Nutini |
UK number one album June 14, 2009 – June 28, 2009 |
Succeeded by Number Ones by Michael Jackson |
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