Billy Talent (album)
Billy Talent is the debut studio album of Canadian rock band Billy Talent, released in 2003. The band's previous album Watoosh! (1999) was released under their old name Pezz.
Billy Talent | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 16, 2003 | |||
Recorded | December 2002 The Factory, Vancouver[1] | |||
Genre | Punk rock, post-hardcore, pop punk, alternative rock, emo | |||
Length | 41:04 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | Gavin "Golden" Brown | |||
Billy Talent chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from Billy Talent | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Daily Princetonian | (favorable)[3] |
Decoy Music | [4] |
Ottawa XPress | [5] |
Q Magazine | [6] |
Rock Hard | 9.5/10[7] |
Sputnikmusic | [8] |
Commercial performance
Billy Talent debuted at number 6 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 7,700 copies in its first week.[9] The album was certified four-time platinum in Canada in January 2021. Between 1996 and 2016, Billy Talent was among the top 15 best-selling albums by Canadian bands in Canada and among the top 40 best-selling albums by Canadian artists overall in Canada.[10]
Reception
In 2005, Billy Talent was ranked number 453 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[11]
Tenth anniversary
In August 2013, Billy Talent announced a Canadian tour for fall of that year entitled "A Return to the Roots", in which they played their entire first self-titled album live to celebrate its 10th anniversary.[12] Soon after the tour, the band announced a 10th anniversary reissue of the album, released on November 26, 2013, through Warner Bros. Records, that features a bonus disc of rare demos and live recordings of the album's track list.[13]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Billy Talent
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "This Is How It Goes" | 3:27 |
2. | "Living in the Shadows" | 3:15 |
3. | "Try Honesty" | 4:13 |
4. | "Line & Sinker" | 3:37 |
5. | "Lies" | 2:58 |
6. | "The Ex" | 2:40 |
7. | "River Below" | 2:59 |
8. | "Standing in the Rain" | 3:20 |
9. | "Cut the Curtains" | 3:50 |
10. | "Prisoners of Today" | 3:53 |
11. | "Nothing to Lose" | 3:38 |
12. | "Voices of Violence" | 3:10 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "This Is How It Goes" (demo) | 3:08 |
2. | "Living in the Shadows" (demo) | 3:15 |
3. | "Try Honesty" (demo) | 4:05 |
4. | "Line & Sinker" (live at Nova Rock Festival) | 4:51 |
5. | "Lies" (live acoustic) | 3:05 |
6. | "The Ex" (demo) | 2:36 |
7. | "River Below" (live at the Orange Lounge) | 3:00 |
8. | "Standing in the Rain" (live at Metalworks) | 3:34 |
9. | "Cut the Curtains" (demo) | 3:38 |
10. | "Prisoners of Today" (demo) | 3:43 |
11. | "Nothing to Lose" (live at Phillipshalle) | 3:59 |
12. | "Voices of Violence" (live at Norwegian Wood Festival) | 3:20 |
Chart positions
Chart | Position |
---|---|
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[14] | 38 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15] | 6 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] | 97 |
UK Albums | 124 |
US Billboard 200[17] | 194 |
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[18] | 11 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[19] | 4× Platinum | 400,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada)[20] 10th Anniversary Edition |
Gold | 40,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI)[21] | Platinum | 200,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Personnel
- Benjamin Kowalewicz – lead vocals
- Ian D'Sa – guitar, vocals, art direction, package design
- Jonathan Gallant – bass guitar, vocals
- Aaron Solowoniuk – drums
References
- Bliss, Karen, "Billy Talent", Access Magazine (February 2003 – March 2003), archived from the original on June 12, 2010
- AllMusic review
- "The Daily Princetonian review". Archived from the original on April 27, 2005. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- Quote on decoymusic.com Review With Broken Link
- Ottawa XPress review Archived February 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- Q Magazine December 2003, p. 120
- Himmelstein, Andreas. "Rock Hard". issue 198. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
- Boy, Davey. "Billy Talent Billy Talent". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- "Billy Talent debuts in Top 10". Archived from the original on November 7, 2004. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- "NIELSEN MUSIC & BILLBOARD PRESENT CANADA 150 CHARTS" (PDF). bdsradio.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- Best of Rock & Metal – Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 27. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
- "Billy Talent Celebrate 10th Anniversary of Debut Album with Canadian Tour". exclaim.ca. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- "Billy Talent Give Self-Titled Debut Expanded Reissue for 10th Anniversary". exclaim.ca. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- "Austriancharts.at – Billy Talent – Billy Talent" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- "Billy Talent Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Billy Talent – Billy Talent" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- "Billy Talent Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- "Billy Talent Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- "Canadian album certifications – Billy Talent – Billy Talent". Music Canada. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- "Canadian album certifications – Billy Talent – Billy Talent 10th Anniversary Edition". Music Canada. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Billy Talent; 'Billy Talent')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
- "British album certifications – Billy Talent – Billy Talent". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 6, 2021.