Black Market Music (album)
Black Market Music | ||||
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Studio album by Placebo | ||||
Released | 9 October 2000 | |||
Recorded | Late 1999 – mid 2000 | |||
Studio | Olympic Studios, Townhouse Studios and Moody Studios in London, England | |||
Genre | Glam punk[1] | |||
Length | 55:44 | |||
Label | Hut | |||
Producer | Paul Corkett | |||
Placebo chronology | ||||
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Singles from Black Market Music | ||||
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Black Market Music is the third studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo. The album took nine months to record, from late-1999 to mid-2000; the longest that the band had ever spent recording an album until 2022's Never Let Me Go. It was released on 9 October 2000 by record label Hut.
Four singles were released from the album: "Taste in Men", "Slave to the Wage", "Special K" and "Black-Eyed". The album reached number 6 in the UK Albums Chart, and received a generally favourable reaction from music critics.
Background and content
Speaking to Kerrang! in June 2009, Brian Molko remembered:
We had a real swagger and bravado when we went into the studio for this one. We had just come off a really successful tour and felt we'd really exploded. We felt like cowboys of rock! We were also really heavily medicated and beginning to get quite deep into drugs. That's probably why it took nine months to make an album. The drugs also contributed to a certain amount of arrogance. At least that's what I remember from the time. I think we had a desire to write about the world we saw around us. We thought it was cool that, though other people were a little afraid to get deep down and dirty, we could take it on ourselves to write about those things. I think that album was the start of us trying to mix genres. We had so much hatred for rap-rock bands like Limp Bizkit and all they represented – misogyny, homophobia and commercialism – that we wanted to do our own version of it.[2]
The album is dedicated to music publicist Scott Piering,[3] who died of cancer in early 2000.[4] The song "Commercial for Levi" is a reference to the sound technician Levi Tecofski, who on one occasion saved frontman Brian Molko's life: Molko, drunk and about to cross the road, was quickly pulled back by Tecofski from the path of an approaching vehicle.[5]
Release
Black Market Music was released on 9 October 2000. It reached number 6 in the UK Albums Chart.[6]
Reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 65/100[7] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Alternative Press | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | ambiguous[10] |
Drowned in Sound | 8/10[11] |
NME | unfavorable[12] |
Pitchfork | 2.4/10[13] |
PopMatters | neutral[14] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Trouser Press | neutral[15] |
Black Market Music received a generally favourable critical response, though a less enthusiastic reception than previous records. Dean Carlson of AllMusic wrote that "Black Market Music finds Molko in such moody lust that his strangled, androgynous wailing rivals anything the band has previously flashed to the world [...] Placebo seem to have finally found that sweet wet spot between beauty and perversion."[8] Dale Price of Drowned in Sound called it "a heavily revised upgrade of their back catalogue. And then some."[11] Nicholas Taylor of PopMatters called it "highly listenable dark guitar rock".[14]
Among its detractors were NME, who called it "a case of ambition eclipsing talent, of hubris, of a band losing the plot. Placebo's frame of reference has always been narrow, but they've now been reduced to empty gestures without any visionary tunes to tip the balance."[12]
Brian Molko ranked this as his least favourite Placebo album.[16]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Placebo, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Taste in Men" | 4:15 | |
2. | "Days Before You Came" | 2:33 | |
3. | "Special K" | 3:52 | |
4. | "Spite & Malice" (featuring Justin Warfield) |
| 3:37 |
5. | "Passive Aggressive" | 5:24 | |
6. | "Black-Eyed" | 3:48 | |
7. | "Blue American" | 3:31 | |
8. | "Slave to the Wage" | 4:06 | |
9. | "Commercial for Levi" | 2:20 | |
10. | "Haemoglobin" | 3:46 | |
11. | "Narcoleptic" | 4:22 | |
12. | "Peeping Tom" (all versions except the vinyl edition contain the hidden track "Black Market Blood", starting at 10:14) | 14:10 | |
Total length: | 55:44 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
13. | "Without You I'm Nothing" (featuring David Bowie) | 4:15 | |
14. | "I Feel You" (Depeche Mode cover; contains the hidden track "Black Market Blood" starting at 11:23) | Martin Gore | 15:19 |
Personnel
Placebo
- Brian Molko – vocals, guitar, keyboards, 6-string bass, production, mixing
- Stefan Olsdal – bass, guitar, 6-string bass, keyboards, backing vocals, production, mixing
- Steve Hewitt – drums, percussion, production, mixing
Additional personnel
- Rob Ellis – string arrangements
- Bill Lloyd – bass on "Peeping Tom"
- Severe Loren – backing vocals on "Taste in Men" and "Special K"
- Dimitri Tikovoï – string programming
- Justin Warfield – rapping vocals on "Spite & Malice"
Technical
- Paul Collins – sleeve art direction
- Ian Cooper – mastering
- Paul Corkett – production, mixing
- Lorraine Francis – engineering
- Scott Kannberg – sampling
- Dare Mason – production
- Kevin Westenberg – sleeve art direction, sleeve photography
Charts
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[34] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Belgium (BEA)[35] | Platinum | 50,000* |
France (SNEP)[36] | 2× Gold | 200,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[37] | Gold | 150,000^ |
Italy (FIMI)[38] | Gold | 50,000* |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[39] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] | Gold | 100,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Wilson, MacKenzie. "Placebo - Sleeping with Ghosts Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ Bryant, Tony. Kerrang! #1267, 27 June 2009. Treasure Chest. An Intimate Portrait of Life in Rock. Brian Molko, p.60
- ^ Placebo (2000). Black Market Music (Media notes). Virgin Records. CDFLOORXX13.
- ^ "Cerys's charity gig with Stereophonics". BBC News. 11 March 2002. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ "I'm the Anti-Eminem". Melody Maker. 20 October 2000. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "Placebo | Artist | Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ^ a b c "Critic Reviews for Black Market Music". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ a b Carlson, Dean. "Black Market Music – Placebo: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "[Black Market Music review]". Alternative Press (155): 80.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Placebo". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ^ a b Price, Dale (9 October 2000). "Album Reviews: Placebo – Black Market Music / Releases / Releases". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ^ a b "Black Market Music". NME. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ^ Cooper, Paul (8 May 2000). "Placebo: Black Market Music". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ a b Taylor, Nicholas (7 May 2001). "Placebo: Black Market Music". PopMatters. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ Neugebauer, Delvin. "Placebo". Trouser Press. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ Lindsay, Cam. "Rank Your Records: Brian Molko Skeptically Rates Placebo's Eight LPs". Vice. Noisey. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Placebo – Black Market Music". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Placebo – Black Market Music" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Placebo – Black Market Music" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Placebo – Black Market Music" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Placebo – Black Market Music" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Placebo: Black Market Music" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Placebo – Black Market Music". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Placebo – Black Market Music" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Placebo". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Placebo – Black Market Music". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Placebo – Black Market Music". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Placebo – Black Market Music". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Placebo – Black Market Music". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Placebo – Black Market Music". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Rapports Annuels 2000". Ultratop. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2007". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ "French album certifications – Placebo – Black Market Music" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Placebo; 'Black Market Music')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ^ "Placebo: Sleeping with Ghosts" (in Italian). MTV Italy. 27 January 2003. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Black Market Music')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- ^ "British album certifications – Placebo – Black Market Music". British Phonographic Industry.
External links
- Black Market Music at Discogs (list of releases)
- v
- t
- e
- Robert Schultzberg
- Steve Hewitt
- Steve Forrest
- Placebo
- Without You I'm Nothing
- Black Market Music
- Sleeping with Ghosts
- Meds
- Battle for the Sun
- Loud Like Love
- Never Let Me Go
- Extended Play '07
- B3
- Life's What You Make It
- Covers
- Once More with Feeling: Singles 1996–2004
- A Place for Us to Dream
- Live at Angkor Wat
- MTV Unplugged
- Soulmates Never Die: Live in Paris 2003
- Once More with Feeling: Videos 1996–2004
- We Come in Pieces
- MTV Unplugged
- "Bruise Pristine"
- "Come Home"
- "36 Degrees"
- "Teenage Angst"
- "Nancy Boy"
- "Pure Morning"
- "You Don't Care About Us"
- "Every You Every Me"
- "Without You I'm Nothing"
- "Taste in Men"
- "Slave to the Wage"
- "Special K"
- "Black-Eyed"
- "The Bitter End"
- "This Picture"
- "Special Needs"
- "English Summer Rain"
- "Protège-moi"
- "Twenty Years"
- "Because I Want You"
- "Song to Say Goodbye"
- "Infra-Red"
- "Meds"
- "For What It's Worth"
- "Ashtray Heart"
- "Bright Lights"
- "Too Many Friends"
- "Loud Like Love"
- "Jesus' Son"
- "I Feel You"
- "Sleeping with Ghosts"