Life on Display is the second studio album by post-grunge band Puddle of Mudd. It was produced by John Kurzweg whose previous work includes Creed, Socialburn, and No Address, and whom produced the band's previous album, and Michael "Elvis" Baskette.
Life on Display | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 25, 2003 | |||
Recorded | 2003 | |||
Genre | Post-grunge | |||
Length | 55:36 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | ||||
Puddle of Mudd chronology | ||||
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Singles from Life on Display | ||||
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In contrast to their previous album, Come Clean, Life on Display was a commercial disappointment, only being certified Gold by the RIAA, in comparison to Come Clean's triple platinum success. To date, Life on Display has sold 706,191 units in the United States.[citation needed]
The album received generally negative reviews, and peaked at #20 on the Billboard 200 album chart, spending 23 weeks on the chart. It was less successful internationally on the charts.
The album spawned one hit single, "Away from Me", which reached #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. Two additional minor hits, "Spin You Around" and "Heel Over Head," charted on the U.S. Mainstream Rock and Alternative charts. All three singles had corresponding music videos.
History
editPuddle of Mudd began writing material for the second album while on tour for their first in 2002.[1] 18 songs were recorded for the record.[2] The band spent over eight months in various studios recording the material.[3] Singer Scantlin had to learn new chord progression for the track, "Time Flies". A B-side song entitled "Bleed" was loaned for the movie The Punisher. An unreleased song called "Galvanic" garnered some attention due to the fact Scantlin cried during playback for it.[4][5]
Promotion
editThe "Away from Me" video was featured during the 10th season of Making the Video. Puddle of Mudd also performed four tracks off the album on the November 25 debut episode of Fuse TV's 7th Avenue Drop. "Nothing Left to Lose" served as the main theme song for WWE's Royal Rumble 2004. Also went as one of the soundtrack of the famous TV series The O.C.
Critical reception
editAggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | (37/100)[6] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
Blender | |
Entertainment Weekly | B−[8] |
Q | |
Rolling Stone |
Initial critical response to Life on Display was generally unfavorable. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 37, based on seven reviews.[6] Life on Display received largely average to poor reviews from Entertainment Weekly, E Online, and Allmusic. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone gave the album a mere 1 out of 5 stars, citing "the predominant emotion transmitted by these tired, hookless tunes is a kind of skull-banging numbness."
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Wesley Scantlin except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Away from Me" | 4:00 | |
2. | "Heel Over Head" | 4:05 | |
3. | "Nothing Left to Lose" | 4:30 | |
4. | "Change My Mind" | Scantlin, Doug Ardito | 4:20 |
5. | "Spin You Around" | 4:27 | |
6. | "Already Gone" | 4:32 | |
7. | "Think" | 4:10 | |
8. | "Cloud 9" | 3:34 | |
9. | "Bottom" | 5:22 | |
10. | "Freak of the World" | 3:36 | |
11. | "Sydney" | 4:58 | |
12. | "Time Flies" | 7:05 | |
Total length: | 55:36 |
No. | Title | Length |
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13. | "Life Ain't Fair" | 3:45 |
14. | "Daddy" | 4:17 |
15. | "Bleed" | 3:34 |
Personnel
edit- Wesley Scantlin – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Paul Phillips – lead guitar
- Doug Ardito – bass, backing vocals
- Greg Upchurch – drums
- Bill McGathy – tambourine
- Peter Katsis – triangle
- Ian Montone – triangle
Production
- John Kurzweg – executive producer, engineer
- Andy Wallace – mixing
Charts and certifications
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
Certificationsedit
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References
edit- ^ Puddle of Mudd - Recording Studio (Life On Display) on YouTube
- ^ Moss, Corey (May 28, 2003). "Next Puddle of Mudd LP Will Have Heartfelt, 'Super Heavy' Songs - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
- ^ "Puddle of Mudd Ready to put 'Life On Display'". AlternativeAddiction.com. September 21, 2003. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
- ^ "Puddle Of Mudd : Wes Scantlin's Songbird Is Back, And It's Making Him Cry - Rhapsody Music Downloads". VH1.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
- ^ "Puddle Of Mudd: My Songs Making Me Cry". UltimateGuitar.
- ^ a b c d "Life on Display reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (November 25, 2003). "Life on Display - Puddle of Mudd". AllMusic. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
- ^ Sinclair, Tom (November 28, 2003). "Life on Display Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- ^ Hoard, Christian (December 11, 2003). "Life On Display : Puddle Of Mudd : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 27, 2007. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Puddle of Mudd – Life on Display" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Puddle of Mudd – Life on Display" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Puddle of Mudd – Life on Display". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ "Puddle of Mudd Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Puddle of Mudd – Life on Display". Music Canada. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ "American album certifications – Puddle of Mudd – Life on Display". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 24, 2019.