Gravity Kills (album)
Encyclopedia
Gravity Kills is the debut album
by Gravity Kills
, released on March 5, 1996 by TVT Records
(see 1996 in music
), the album sold just under 500,000 copies.
Promo versions of this album have the first song titled as "Take" it was renamed "Forward" just before the album was released.
All the track titles on the album are each only one word in length.
had a compilation CD of local artists, keyboardist/programmer Doug Firley, guitarist Matt Dudenhoeffer and drummer/bassist Kurt Kerns brought in vocalist Jeff Scheel to record and mix a track in one week during the summer. "Guilty" was given heavy airplay and quickly became the number one-requested song at the station.
It's song meaning is the end of a relationship and who's to blame for their secrets, but they're both to blame equally which lyrics are saying 'You're killing me, I'm killing you. And I'm guilty, too.'
The music video for "Guilty" was shot at the Alexandria Hotel in Los Angeles
over two days, directed by Rocky Morton
and produced by Nicole Beare. Guilty was ranked as high as #17 on MTV's active rotation, however it's still on MTV's website for America, UK and other countries too. The video was aired on MTV's 120 minutes with Matt Pinfield
, MTV UK didn't show it on TV in UK due to what they called disturbing images. The Girl who is seen licking the floor in the video is someone called Jane. The scene with maggots were flown in to LA for the video making from a company out of New Jersey.
The song was used in a 1996 thriller film Seven
(stylized as Se7en), by David Fincher
based on the 1995 novel
was set in a underground tunnel sewage where the band are performing and unclean people moving about and features some scenes of the film.
Interestingly, there was a unfinished music video for the song, it shows the band playing in their live concerts in 1996, showing random colour flashing lights, video effects and is showing a video timer for the tape. The music video was a unfinished video project, it was shown once in 1997 and it was never repeated on TV afterwards or on any other TV channels, Kurt Kerns recovered the video by capturing it on a videotape when it was aired and then he passed the videotape footage to Jeff Scheel. On January 14 2011, Jeff Scheel uploaded and revealed the unreleased music video on Youtube and told some people on Facebook
it was a "previously unreleased Gravity Kills video".
soundtrack. It didn't make it into the soundtrack. The music video for the song was shot in Burbank, CA and directed by Rocky Morton
same director for the 'Guilty' video.
.
's 1998 romantic comedy film, Kissing A Fool
only heard in film, but not the released soundtrack.
"Guilty" music video
"Enough" music video
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Gravity Kills
Gravity Kills
Gravity Kills is an American industrial rock band from Jefferson City, Missouri. Their music was described by one critic as "a blending of eerie industrial rock with a pop-infused melodic chorus and a bit of hard-core head banging."...
, released on March 5, 1996 by TVT Records
TVT Records
TVT Records was an independent US record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. Over the course of its 25 year history the label released some 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-platinum releases. Its roster included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, Underworld, The KLF, Sevendust, Brian Jonestown Massacre and...
(see 1996 in music
1996 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
), the album sold just under 500,000 copies.
Promo versions of this album have the first song titled as "Take" it was renamed "Forward" just before the album was released.
All the track titles on the album are each only one word in length.
Album cover
The picture in the centre on the front cover is called "Picturing The Bomb" the image is owned by Rachel Fermi and Esther Samra.Track listing
Guilty
This is first ever successful, written and produced single in Gravity Kills's History. In 1994, St. Louis's radio station KPNTKPNT
KPNT is a commercial radio station licensed to Collinsville, IL, broadcasting to the St. Louis, Missouri area on 105.7 FM. KPNT airs a mainly modern rock music format with just a hint of active rock branded as "The Point".- History :...
had a compilation CD of local artists, keyboardist/programmer Doug Firley, guitarist Matt Dudenhoeffer and drummer/bassist Kurt Kerns brought in vocalist Jeff Scheel to record and mix a track in one week during the summer. "Guilty" was given heavy airplay and quickly became the number one-requested song at the station.
It's song meaning is the end of a relationship and who's to blame for their secrets, but they're both to blame equally which lyrics are saying 'You're killing me, I'm killing you. And I'm guilty, too.'
The music video for "Guilty" was shot at the Alexandria Hotel in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
over two days, directed by Rocky Morton
Rocky Morton
Rocky Morton is a British director. He was one of the co-creators of Max Headroom and co-director on Super Mario Bros.. Various music videos by Rush, Tom Tom Club, Talking Heads, Led Zeppelin, Orgy and Miles Davis are credited to Morton. He also directed the 1995 UK launch commercial of Sega...
and produced by Nicole Beare. Guilty was ranked as high as #17 on MTV's active rotation, however it's still on MTV's website for America, UK and other countries too. The video was aired on MTV's 120 minutes with Matt Pinfield
Matt Pinfield
Matt Pinfield is a music personality and TV host, best known for being a video deejay on MTV and VH1. He currently lives in Harrison, New Jersey having previously resided in East Brunswick Township...
, MTV UK didn't show it on TV in UK due to what they called disturbing images. The Girl who is seen licking the floor in the video is someone called Jane. The scene with maggots were flown in to LA for the video making from a company out of New Jersey.
The song was used in a 1996 thriller film Seven
Seven (film)
Seven is a 1995 American thriller film, which also contains horror and neo-noir elements, directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It was distributed by New Line Cinema and stars Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R...
(stylized as Se7en), by David Fincher
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
based on the 1995 novel
Blame
The music video for "Blame" was shot at a water park in Los Angeles and a set that was built in an airport hanger in Burbank. Another video for "Blame" was a remix version from the film Escape from L.A.Escape from L.A.
Escape From L.A. is a 1996 film directed by John Carpenter. The sequel to the action film Escape from New York, the film follows former war hero Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell...
was set in a underground tunnel sewage where the band are performing and unclean people moving about and features some scenes of the film.
Down
The song means about someone who lies and steals, and the man knows all the stuff they did. The person is so messed up on drugs and a load of stuff in his life.Interestingly, there was a unfinished music video for the song, it shows the band playing in their live concerts in 1996, showing random colour flashing lights, video effects and is showing a video timer for the tape. The music video was a unfinished video project, it was shown once in 1997 and it was never repeated on TV afterwards or on any other TV channels, Kurt Kerns recovered the video by capturing it on a videotape when it was aired and then he passed the videotape footage to Jeff Scheel. On January 14 2011, Jeff Scheel uploaded and revealed the unreleased music video on Youtube and told some people on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
it was a "previously unreleased Gravity Kills video".
Here
When they were in New York City finishing the first album. With only 3 days left in the studio, their record label told them that they wanted one more song. Kurt Kerns had an idea of music. At this point Jeff had a melody in his head and broke off to another room in the studio and started writing the song's lyrics. Here was the last track to be written for the album, the track was produced and mixed in 2 days before finishing the album. 'Here' has two song meanings, first meaning is about a personal separation vocalist Jeff Scheel felt from his family in friends while going through the process of writing and recording a record. The second meaning is about the anxiety the band was feeling in finishing the record and putting it out in the world "for all to see".Enough
The song was actually written to submit for the ShowgirlsShowgirls
Showgirls is a 1995 American drama film directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring former teen actress Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, and Gina Gershon...
soundtrack. It didn't make it into the soundtrack. The music video for the song was shot in Burbank, CA and directed by Rocky Morton
Rocky Morton
Rocky Morton is a British director. He was one of the co-creators of Max Headroom and co-director on Super Mario Bros.. Various music videos by Rush, Tom Tom Club, Talking Heads, Led Zeppelin, Orgy and Miles Davis are credited to Morton. He also directed the 1995 UK launch commercial of Sega...
same director for the 'Guilty' video.
Inside
Inside was written about the perspectives of a homeless man and a person in his house looking at each other through a window. The song is some times describes as a 'some serious mischief song'.Goodbye
On the song, the band wrote the Lyrics about an ex-girlfriend of keyboardist Doug Firley. The demo for the was used in the 1995 action and adventure film by Paul Anderson based on the videos games, Mortal KombatMortal Kombat (film)
Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American action and adventure film directed by Paul Anderson. Based on the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games, the film was the first part of the Mortal Kombat film series...
.
Last
'Last' was featured in a Doug EllinDoug Ellin
Douglas Reed Ellin is the creator of the HBO television series Entourage. Ellin also serves as executive producer and head writer for the series. He attended Tulane University.-Life and career:...
's 1998 romantic comedy film, Kissing A Fool
Kissing a Fool
Kissing A Fool is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Doug Ellin. It primarily stars David Schwimmer, Jason Lee, and Mili Avital...
only heard in film, but not the released soundtrack.
Games appearances
| Year | Song | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Blame | Test Drive Off-Road Test Drive Off-Road Test Drive Off-Road is a cross-platform racing game in 1997. It is the first entry in the Test Drive Off-Road series of video games.Bob Fitzgerald provides the voice as the announcer.-Game Modes:... |
| Guilty | ||
| Enough | ||
| 2000 | Guilty | Vampire: Redemption |
In other media
- The notable song "Guilty" was featured in SevenSeven (film)Seven is a 1995 American thriller film, which also contains horror and neo-noir elements, directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It was distributed by New Line Cinema and stars Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R...
(stylized as Se7en), a 1996 thriller film by David FincherDavid FincherDavid Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
based on the 1995 novel with the same title written by Anthony Bruno. The film follows David Mills (Brad PittBrad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
) and William Somerset (Morgan FreemanMorgan FreemanMorgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
) as police detectives working in a crime-filled city, who become deeply involved in a case involving a series of sadistic murders. Each murder corresponds to one of the seven deadly sinsSeven deadly sinsThe 7 Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of objectionable vices that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin...
: Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Greed and Wrath. - "Last" was featured in a Doug EllinDoug EllinDouglas Reed Ellin is the creator of the HBO television series Entourage. Ellin also serves as executive producer and head writer for the series. He attended Tulane University.-Life and career:...
's 1998 romantic comedy film, Kissing A FoolKissing a FoolKissing A Fool is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Doug Ellin. It primarily stars David Schwimmer, Jason Lee, and Mili Avital...
. The plot follows Max (David SchwimmerDavid SchwimmerDavid Lawrence Schwimmer is an American actor and director of television and film. He was born in New York City, and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was two. He began his acting career performing in school plays at Beverly Hills High School. In 1988, he graduated from Northwestern...
), a commitment-phobic sports broadcaster, and Jay (Jason Lee), a neuroticNeurosisNeurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving distress but neither delusions nor hallucinations, whereby behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms. It is also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, and thus those suffering from it are said to be neurotic...
writer, have been best friends since childhood, Jay sets Max up with his editor Samantha (Mili AvitalMili AvitalMili Avital is an Israeli actress. Avital built a successful stage and film career in Israel, winning the Israeli Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1992 and nominated for Best Actress in 1994.-Personal life:...
). - A remix version of "Blame" was featured in Escape from L.A.Escape from L.A.Escape From L.A. is a 1996 film directed by John Carpenter. The sequel to the action film Escape from New York, the film follows former war hero Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell...
, a science fiction action film by John Carpenter. The sequel to the action film Escape from New York, the plot follows former war hero Snake Plissken, played by Kurt RussellKurt RussellKurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
. - A demo version of "Goodbye" was featured in a 1995 action and adventure film by Paul Anderson based on the videos games, Mortal KombatMortal Kombat (film)Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American action and adventure film directed by Paul Anderson. Based on the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games, the film was the first part of the Mortal Kombat film series...
. The film follows the warrior Liu KangLiu KangLiu Kang is a video game character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. First appearing in the series' first title, Liu Kang is portrayed as a Shaolin monk who enters the Mortal Kombat tournament to save his world, Earthrealm, from being destroyed due to having lost nine consecutive...
, actor Johnny CageJohnny CageJohnny Cage, whose real name is John Carlton, is a video game character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. Cage is portrayed as a film actor who enters the game's tournament, and provides the comic relief of the franchise....
, and Special Forces agent Sonya BladeSonya BladeSonya Blade is a player character from the Mortal Kombat series. She is portrayed in the games as an officer of the United States Special Forces.-In video games:...
, guided by the Thunder God RaidenRaiden (Mortal Kombat)Raiden is a player character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. Raiden, also known as Lord Raiden, is a thunder god of the Mortal Kombat universe and protector of Earthrealm. He commands many supernatural abilities such as the ability to teleport, control over lightning, and flight...
, on their journey to combat the evil sorcerer Shang TsungShang TsungShang Tsung is a boss and player character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. A powerful and deadly sorcerer and a primary antagonist in the Mortal Kombat series, Shang Tsung is a shapeshifter who absorbs the souls of those he slays in order to maintain his youth and power...
and his forces in a tournament to save Earth.
External links
"Down" music video"Guilty" music video
"Enough" music video