Natural Selection (Fuel album)
| Natural Selection | ||||||||||||
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| Studio album by Fuel | ||||||||||||
| Released | September 23, 2003 | |||||||||||
| Recorded | April 2002-July 2003 in Atlanta | |||||||||||
| Genre | Hard rock, alternative metal, post-grunge | |||||||||||
| Length | 50:39 | |||||||||||
| Label | Epic | |||||||||||
| Producer | Michael Beinhorn, Carl Bell | |||||||||||
| Fuel chronology | ||||||||||||
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Natural Selection is Fuel's third album, released in 2003 on Epic Records. It features generally the same style as heard on the band's previous two efforts but didn't manage to match their commercial success.
Preceding the album's release "Won't Back Down" was featured as the lead single of the film soundtrack Daredevil: The Album. "Falls on Me" served as the first single of Natural Selection and received much airplay on MTV throughout the summer. The album also had a third marginally successful single in "Million Miles". The song Quarter was featured in the Need for Speed: Underground, NFL Street and NASCAR Thunder 2004.
Background
Following the multi-platinum success of their previous album Something Like Human, Fuel had some setbacks to overcome before they could begin recording the album that became Natural Selection. First off, the band had to resolve some pressing legal matters which prohibited them from recording.[1]
Medical problems also inhibited the recording of the album. In 1998, singer–guitarist Brett Scallions clashed on stage with guitarist–songwriter Carl Bell during the band's Sunburn tour.[2] This left Scallions with a deviated septum that required medical attention and time for recovery which was not afforded until after 2001's Something Like Human tour concluded.[3] The procedure for his deviated septum had an effect on his voice as according to Scallions: "I think I basically had to relearn how to sing... I had to recondition myself and figure out how to sing again."[3]
Bell expressed confidence in Natural Selection, stating "The record is, I think, far and beyond any of the other records we've had as a body of work."[4] Producer Michael Beinhorn has stated that Natural Selection is one of his favorite albums that he's produced.[5]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [6] |
| Rolling Stone | [7] |
Natural Selection debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 album chart,[8] selling about 71,000 copies in its first week of release.[9] The album was later nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004 for best engineered album.[10]
Aftermath
Natural Selection would prove to be the final Fuel album to feature drummer Kevin Miller and Scallions on vocals. Miller was fired from the band in 2004, and Scallions left in 2006, stating that "... there was no fun in [making the album] because there was no activity within the band."[11] Scallions' feelings of lack of group activity along with Bell's feelings of Scallions losing vocal range led to Scallions' eventual departure from the group.[12] Fuel would release their next album with a new drummer and lead vocalist, and later Scallions formed the current incarnation of Fuel in 2010.
Track listing
All songs written by Carl Bell, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Quarter" | 3:39 | |
| 2. | "Down Inside of You" | 4:07 | |
| 3. | "Million Miles" | 3:51 | |
| 4. | "Falls on Me" | 4:13 | |
| 5. | "These Things" | 4:57 | |
| 6. | "Won't Back Down" (Bring You Hell Remix) | 3:23 | |
| 7. | "Running Away" | 4:54 | |
| 8. | "Most of All" | 4:13 | |
| 9. | "Getting Thru?" | 4:09 | |
| 10. | "Die Like This" | 4:29 | |
| 11. | "Luck" | Brett Scallions | 4:15 |
| 12. | "Days With You" | 4:29 | |
|
Total length:
|
50:39 | ||
Personnel
- Band
- Brett Scallions: lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Carl Bell: lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
- Jeff Abercrombie: bass guitar
- Kevin Miller: drums
- Production
- Michael Beinhorn: Producer
- Andy Wallace: Mixing
- Josh Wilbur: Mixing on "Won't Back Down (Bring You Hell Remix)"
- Howie Weinberg: Mastering
References
- ↑ Davis, Darren. "Fuel Rehearsing For New Recording". Yahoo! Music. October 23, 2002.
- ↑ http://www.musicfanclubs.org/fuel/fuelnews.htm
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Author Unknown. "Fuel Vocalist Sings Again After Surgery". Yahoo! Music. October 16, 2003.
- ↑ Author Unknown. "Fuel Guitarist Says New Album Is Best 'Selection' Of Songs Yet". Yahoo! Music. September 20, 2003.
- ↑ Ryan. "Reflecting on Soundgarden's Superunknown". Alternative Addiction. March 5, 2014.
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Rolling Stone review at the Wayback Machine (archived February 6, 2008)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Martens, Todd. "OutKast Leads Nine New Top-20 Chart Entries". boston.com. Oct 1, 2003.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Chad. "Brett Scallions Tells his Story". Alternative Addiction. August 5, 2007.
- ↑ Chad. "Carl Bell of Fuel Speaks Out" Alternative Addiction. July 21, 2007.
