Dirty Vegas (album) explained

Dirty Vegas
Type:studio
Artist:Dirty Vegas
Cover:Dirty vegas.jpg
Released:4 June 2002
Recorded:October 2001
Genre:
Length:60:33
Label:Capitol
Producer:Dirty Vegas
Next Title:One
Next Year:2004

Dirty Vegas is the debut album by British house music trio Dirty Vegas, released in the United States on 4 June 2002.

The album was successful in the United States, debuting at number 7 on the Billboard 200.[1] It would spend 19 weeks on the chart[2] and eventually going Gold.[3] [4] The album also spent 16 non-consecutive weeks at number-one on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart.

The album features the radio hit "Days Go By" which was also used in a commercial for the Mitsubishi Eclipse and in the video game, . The album artwork is done by American artist Richard Phillips.[5]

Background

Frontman Paul Harris had worked as a club DJ in Europe prior to forming Dirty Vegas, while Ben Harris worked at a Camden recording studio and Steve Smith was performing as part of a band called Higher Ground.[6] After Higher Ground disbanded, Paul met Smith at a party in Switzerland; the two began performing together. Ben Harris later joined and the trio began to record songs together, the first of which was "Days Go By."[7]

Recording

The group released "Days Go By," and the song's striking video was seen by an executive who worked for Mitsubishi Motors. He tracked the group down and got permission to feature the song in an ad for the company. Following the song's licensing, the group returned to the studio to record more songs for a full-length album. Ben Harris commented to MTV that, when recording the album, they were "trying to not really fit anywhere," opting to attempt to create "something unique" instead. The group informed Billboard that they didn't have one specific songwriting strategy for the album: "Ben and I might get a chord sequence going, and then Steve may add the lyrics - or vice versa. We handle it from many different angles." The album's recording was completed in October 2001, shortly before the Mitsubishi ad began running.

Critical reception

The album garnered generally mixed reviews from music critics. John Bush, writing for AllMusic, gave the album 2 and a half out of 5 stars, praising the album's production but criticizing the lyrics and Smith's vocals. John Aizlewood, writing for The Guardian, compared the album to Air and Everything But the Girl and singled out "7AM", "Throwing Shapes", "Candles", and "All or Nothing" as highlights. Music critic Robert Christgau praised the album's catchiness but commented that "Days Go By" didn't stand out on the album the way it did in the Mitsubishi advertisements.

Release and commercial performance

The album was released in the US on 4 June 2002. The album debuted at number 7 on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 64,000.[8] It spent more than three months on the chart and eventually attained a Gold certification from the RIAA. The album also entered the Top 40 of the UK album chart.[9]

Track listing

All tracks written by Paul Harris, Ben Harris, and Steve Smith, except where noted.

  1. "I Should Know" – 6:09
  2. "Ghosts" – 5:18
  3. "Lost Not Found" – 4:05
  4. "Days Go By" (Victoria Horn, Smith) – 7:07
  5. "Throwing Shapes" – 6:52
  6. "Candles" – 3:12
  7. "All or Nothing" – 4:55
  8. "Alive" – 3:21
  9. "7am" – 6:13
  10. "The Brazilian" – 3:53
  11. "Simple Things, Pt. 2" (Harris, Harris, Smith, Roger Waters) – 6:44
  12. "Days Go By" (Acoustic) – 2:43

Release details

The album was released in various countries in 2002.[10]

align=center Countryalign=center Datealign=center Labelalign=center Formatalign=center Catalog
United States4 June 2002Capitol RecordsCD39986
Japan4 September 2002Toshiba-EMICDTOCP-66102
Australia16 September 2002Capitol RecordsCD539 9852
United Kingdom30 September 2002Credence RecordsCD542 9992

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2002)Peak
position
US Billboard 200[11] 7
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[12] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2002)Position
Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[13] 72
US Billboard 200[14] 161
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[15] 2

Notes and References

  1. Hot 100 from the week of JUNE 22, 2002. Billboard. 7 November 2016.
  2. Dirty Vegas Hot 200 chart history. Billboard. 7 November 2016.
  3. Web site: Walker. Rob. Dirty Vegas The band that Mitsubishi made.. Slate. 19 September 2002. The Slate Group. 7 November 2016.
  4. Web site: Gold & Platinum. Recording Industry Association of America.
  5. Web site: YES — A Multidisciplinary Design Studio.
  6. Web site: Paoletta. Michael. Billboard June 1, 2002 (page 44). Google Books. June 2002. 9 November 2016.
  7. Web site: Moss. Corey. DAYS GO BY, AND STILL YOU CAN'T GET DIRTY VEGAS OUT OF YOUR HEAD. https://web.archive.org/web/20141126070702/http://www.mtv.com/news/1454923/days-go-by-and-still-you-cant-get-dirty-vegas-out-of-your-head/. dead. 26 November 2014. MTV. 9 November 2016.
  8. Web site: Dansby . Andrew . Eminem Makes It Three . Rolling Stone . Penske Media . April 9, 2022 . June 12, 2002.
  9. Web site: OFFICIAL ALBUMS CHART RESULTS MATCHING: DIRTY VEGAS. Official Charts. Official Charts Company. 7 November 2016.
  10. Web site: Releases. Allmusic. 14 December 2016.
  11. Dirty Vegas, TLP. Billboard. 16 May 2021. subscription.
  12. Dirty Vegas, ELP. Billboard. 16 May 2021. subscription.
  13. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20031204012816/http://jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2002_alt.html. December 4, 2003. Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002. Jam!. March 26, 2022.
  14. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002. Billboard. 2 January 2013. 16 May 2021.
  15. 2002 The Year in Music. Billboard. 114. 52. YE-53. 28 December 2002. 16 May 2021.
  16. 2003 The Year in Music. Billboard. 115. 52. YE-66. 27 December 2003. 16 May 2021.