No Pleasantries
Encyclopedia
No Pleasantries is the debut album of American post-grunge
band U.P.O.
Released on May 30, 2000, the album broke U.P.O. into the mainstream rock scene was their most successful. It was made available on iTunes
on September 22, 2004.
In promotion of No Pleasantries, U.P.O. toured throughout 2000 with popular acts such as Linkin Park
, Nickelback
, Godsmack
, and 3 Doors Down
. July saw the group joining Slipknot
, Slayer
, and Metallica
on the Tattoo the Earth
Tour. U.P.O. played two more shows in 2001 before their brief hiatus.
David Reamer of Allmusic noted, "With a sound similar to Badmotorfinger
-era Soundgarden
and featuring vocal distortion like that employed by Travis Meeks
of Days of the New
fame, the album is nothing revolutionary, but it is full of quality tracks that will please all but the most jaded alternative fans." He also claimed that U.P.O. obviously "knows what it's doing" and enjoys making music. Vocalist Shawn Albro's varied delivery has also been compared to The Cult
's Ian Astbury
.
. A track entitled "Now You Want Me," which may be from the No Pleasantries sessions, was featured on the ECW Anarchy Rocks! compilation. Nash Bridges
and ESPN Under the Helmet also bared tracks from No Pleasantries.
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
band U.P.O.
U.P.O.
U.P.O. was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1997. Since 2004, the band's line-up has included Shawn Albro , Chris Weber , Ben Shirley and Tommy Holt . Previous members include Zoltan Bathory and Philippe Mathys.To date, U.P.O...
Released on May 30, 2000, the album broke U.P.O. into the mainstream rock scene was their most successful. It was made available on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on September 22, 2004.
In promotion of No Pleasantries, U.P.O. toured throughout 2000 with popular acts such as Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
, Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
, Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
, and 3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa formed in 1996. The band consists of Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts , Todd Harrell , Chris Henderson , and Greg Upchurch ....
. July saw the group joining Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, and Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
on the Tattoo the Earth
Tattoo the Earth
Tattoo the Earth was a concert tour from 2000 to 2002 in the United States. The tour, with part of it taking place during the summer, posed a challenge to Slipknot in particular. The band performed onstage in masks, and even under the best circumstances, they found them uncomfortable. The band's...
Tour. U.P.O. played two more shows in 2001 before their brief hiatus.
Reception
No Pleasantries boasted two chart-placing singles; "Godless" climbed to #5 on the Billboard chart and “Feel Alive” reached #25. The album managed to sell over 100,000 copies.David Reamer of Allmusic noted, "With a sound similar to Badmotorfinger
Badmotorfinger
Badmotorfinger is the third studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on October 8, 1991 through A&M Records. After touring in support of its previous album, Louder Than Love , Soundgarden began the recording sessions for its next album with new bassist Ben Shepherd...
-era Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
and featuring vocal distortion like that employed by Travis Meeks
Travis Meeks
Travis Shane Meeks , is an American musician, and is the lead singer, guitarist and song writer for acoustic rock band Days of the New.-Early life and career:...
of Days of the New
Days of the New
Days of the New is an American alternative rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1995. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Travis Meeks and a variety of supporting musicians...
fame, the album is nothing revolutionary, but it is full of quality tracks that will please all but the most jaded alternative fans." He also claimed that U.P.O. obviously "knows what it's doing" and enjoys making music. Vocalist Shawn Albro's varied delivery has also been compared to The Cult
The Cult
The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
's Ian Astbury
Ian Astbury
Ian Astbury is an English rock musician and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist for the rock band, The Cult.-Pre-Cult:...
.
Song appearances
"Godless" was included on MTV's Return of the Rock Vol. 2. Tattoo The Earth: The First Crusade included A live rendition of "Dust." "Feel Alive" was included on the soundtrack to Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 is the 2000 American horror film and the sequel to the film The Blair Witch Project, directed by Joe Berlinger...
. A track entitled "Now You Want Me," which may be from the No Pleasantries sessions, was featured on the ECW Anarchy Rocks! compilation. Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges is an American television police drama created by Carlton Cuse. The show starred Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit. The show ran for six seasons on CBS from March 29, 1996 to May 4, 2001 with a total of...
and ESPN Under the Helmet also bared tracks from No Pleasantries.
Track listing
Personnel
- Shawn Albro - vocals
- Chris WeberChris WeberChris Weber is is an American musician best known as the guitarist and founder of the groups U.P.O. and Hollywood Rose...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Benjamin Shirley - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Tommy Holt - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and percussion - Rick Parashar & Geoff Ott - engineering
- Brandon Vaughan - assistant engineering
- Rick Parashar & Kelly Gray - mixing
- Stephen Marcussen - mastering
- Steve Richards - A&R direction
- Steve Ross - A&R coordination
- Hooshik - art direction
- Dean Karr - photography
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Heatseekers | 19 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Feel Alive" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 25 |
| 2000 | "Godless" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 6 |