Franz Ferdinand (album)
Franz Ferdinand is the self-titled debut studio album by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released on 9 February 2004 through the Domino Recording Company. It was recorded during 2003 at Gula Studios in Malmö, Sweden and was co-produced by the band and Tore Johansson. It entered the United Kingdom album charts at number three in February 2004 and contains the UK top ten singles "Take Me Out" and "The Dark of the Matinée" as well as UK top 20 hit "Michael".
Franz Ferdinand | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 9 February 2004 | |||
Recorded | 2003 | |||
Studio | Gula (Malmö) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 38:49 | |||
Label | Domino | |||
Producer |
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Franz Ferdinand chronology | ||||
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Singles from Franz Ferdinand | ||||
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Franz Ferdinand won the 2004 Mercury Music Prize and was nominated for Best Alternative Album at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards. The album has since sold over 3.6 million copies worldwide,[1] with over 1.27 million copies in the United Kingdom[2] and at least 1 million copies in the US (corresponding to 1x Platinum).[3]
Reception
Critical
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 87/100[4] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Blender | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Mojo | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 9/10[10] |
Pitchfork | 9.1/10[11] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Uncut | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Franz Ferdinand received universal critical acclaim, holding a score of 87 out of 100 on review aggregator site Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 31 reviews.[4] Simon Fernand of BBC Music wrote that Franz Ferdinand "may not be a particularly long album, but it is a masterpiece of funky, punky, suave cool from the first track to the last."[15] Anthony Thornton of NME cited Franz Ferdinand as the latest act in a line of art school rock bands with "the absolute conviction that rock 'n' roll is more than a career option" and praised the album as "the latest and most intoxicating example of the wonderful pushing its way up between the ugly slabs of Pop Idol, nu metal and Britons aping American bands."[10] Heather Phares of AllMusic said that Franz Ferdinand "ends up being rewarding in different ways than the band's previous work was, and it's apparent that they're one of the more exciting groups to come out of the garage rock/post-punk revival."[5] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a three-star honorable mention rating and quipped of the band: "Young enough to only work when they need the money, a musical tradition worth fighting for".[16]
Franz Ferdinand is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die[17] and was placed at number two on Planet Sound's Best Albums of 2004 list. Clash[18] placed "Franz Ferdinand" at No.14 in its list of the top albums from 2004–09. Online music magazine Pitchfork placed Franz Ferdinand at number 101 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s.[19]
Commercial
Franz Ferdinand had a positive commercial performance. The album entered the UK album charts at number 3 in February 2004 and at number 12 on the Australian ARIA album charts in April 2004. The album entered the Billboard 200 album charts on 26 April 2004, and climbed slowly, peaking at number 32 in December 2004.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Jacqueline" | Bob Hardy, Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy | 3:49 |
2. | "Tell Her Tonight" | Kapranos, McCarthy | 2:17 |
3. | "Take Me Out" | Kapranos, McCarthy | 3:57 |
4. | "The Dark of the Matinée" | Hardy, Kapranos, McCarthy | 4:03 |
5. | "Auf Achse" | Kapranos, McCarthy | 4:19 |
6. | "Cheating on You" | Kapranos, McCarthy | 2:36 |
7. | "This Fire" | Kapranos, McCarthy | 4:14 |
8. | "Darts of Pleasure" | Kapranos, McCarthy | 2:59 |
9. | "Michael" | Kapranos, McCarthy | 3:21 |
10. | "Come on Home" | Kapranos, McCarthy | 3:46 |
11. | "40'" | Kapranos, McCarthy | 3:24 |
Total length: | 38:49 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Cheating on You" | |
2. | "Jacqueline" | |
3. | "Tell Her Tonight" | |
4. | "Shopping for Blood" | |
5. | "Take Me Out" | |
6. | "Love and Destroy" | |
7. | "Truck Stop" | |
8. | "This Fire" | |
9. | "Michael" | |
10. | "Darts of Pleasure" |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "This Fffire" | Kapranos, McCarthy | 3:32 |
2. | "Van Tango" | Kapranos, McCarthy | 3:26 |
3. | "Shopping for Blood" | Kapranos, McCarthy, Paul Thomson | 3:34 |
4. | "All for You, Sophia" | Kapranos, McCarthy, Hardy | 3:00 |
5. | "Words So Leisured" | Kapranos, McCarthy | 2:18 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's CD cover and liner notes.[20]
- Franz Ferdinand
- Alex Kapranos – lead guitar, lead vocals
- Nick McCarthy – rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards
- Bob Hardy – bass guitar
- Paul Thomson – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Artwork
- Vivian Lewis – back cover
- Joe Dilworth – band photo
- Roxanne Clifford – black and white photo
- Martin Clark – label photo
- Franz Ferdinand and Matthew Cooper – other artwork
- Production
- Tore Johansson – producer
- Franz Ferdinand – producer (2, 7)
- Jens Lindgård – engineer
- Stefan Kvarnström – engineer
- Steve Rooke – mastering (Abbey Road)
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[50] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Belgium (BEA)[51] | Gold | 25,000* |
Canada (Music Canada)[52] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Germany (BVMI)[53] | Gold | 100,000^ |
Norway (IFPI Norway)[54] | Gold | 20,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] | 4× Platinum | 1,290,000[56] |
United States (RIAA)[57] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 9 February 2004 | Domino Records | 12" | WIGLP136 |
CD | WIGCD136 | |||
CD 2 | WIGCD136X | |||
United States | 9 March 2004 | Domino Records | 12" | DN027 |
CD | E92441 | |||
CD 2 | EK93630 | |||
Japan | 2 June 2004 | Sony Japan | CD | EICP 370 |
References
- "Classic Scottish Albums, Series 4: Franz Ferdinand". Classic Scottish Albums. BBC. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- Jones, Alan (23 September 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: Avenged Sevenfold sell 21K to land first No.1 album". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- "RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America". riaa.com. RIAA. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
- "Reviews for Franz Ferdinand by Franz Ferdinand". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- Phares, Heather. "Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- Catucci, Nick (April 2004). "Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand". Blender (25): 126. Archived from the original on 22 November 2005. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- Petridis, Alexis (30 January 2004). "CD: Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- Hilburn, Robert (7 March 2004). "A sly, wry wink from Scotland". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand". Mojo (124): 95. March 2004.
- Thornton, Anthony (16 February 2004). "Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand". NME. Archived from the original on 12 December 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- DiCrescenzo, Brent (8 March 2004). "Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- "Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand". Q (212): 102. March 2004.
- Walters, Barry (7 April 2004). "Franz Ferdinand". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- "Smart Bomb". Uncut (82): 88. March 2004. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- Fernand, Simon. "Review of Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". BBC Music. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- Christgau, Robert. "CG: Franz Ferdinand". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
- "Clash Essential 50 - 14-11 | Clash Music Exclusive Best of Clash". Clashmusic.com. 14 April 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- Pitchfork staff (28 September 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200-151". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
- Franz Ferdinand (CD cover, booklet). Franz Ferdinand. Domino. 2004. DNO27CD.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "Australiancharts.com – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Austriancharts.at – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Ultratop.be – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Ultratop.be – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Danishcharts.dk – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Lescharts.com – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Italiancharts.com – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Charts.nz – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Spanishcharts.com – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Swisscharts.com – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Franz Ferdinand | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "Franz Ferdinand Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2004". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "Jaaroverzichten 2004". Ultratop. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "Rapports Annuels 2004". Ultratop. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2004". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "Top de l'année Top Albums 2004" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2004". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- "Top de l'année Top Albums 2005" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2005". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
- "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2004". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
- "Canadian album certifications – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". Music Canada.
- "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Franz Ferdinand; 'Franz Ferdinand')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
- "British album certifications – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Franz Ferdinand in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- Copsey, Rob (17 September 2018). "The biggest selling Mercury Prize-winning albums revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- "American album certifications – Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.