Puzzle (Biffy Clyro album)
Encyclopedia
Puzzle is the fourth studio album by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro
, released 4 June 2007 - the album was later released in America in August. It is the band's first album since leaving Beggars Banquet
(though the sleeve artwork still features the Beggars Banquet logo).
The album reached #2 in the UK Albums Chart
to widespread critical acclaim, receiving several perfect ratings and was voted the best album of 2007 by Kerrang!
and Rock Sound
. The album also reached #17 in Ireland
, and #39 in the overall world charts. The album is certified Gold in the UK, having sold over 220,000 copies. It has as of February 2009, sold over 300,000 worldwide.
This album is notable for having somewhat more straightforward song structures and a more melodic overall sound than their previous work, while still retaining some more unusual elements.
in Vancouver, Canada, and The Farm Studio in Gibsons, British Columbia
. It was produced by Garth Richardson
, engineered by Mike Fraser
, mixed by Andy Wallace
in New York, and mastered by Howie Weinberg
at Masterdisk
. The band said that they had 40 tracks to choose from, and that they had been recording with composer Graeme Revell
and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra whilst making the album. The artwork for Puzzle and its subsequent singles was designed by Storm Thorgerson
.It is possible that the artwork is a reference to the song Glitter and Trauma
, which includes the line "your skin will break into jigsaw shaped pieces of meat."
On the US & Japanese version the first track was split into "Intro" (2:34) & "Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies" (3:53)
was later re-named "Help Me Be Captain" and released as a B-side to "The Captain
". The song remained the same as the original version played at live shows in 2005.
was originally a counterpart to "Help Me Become Captain". It was developed into "The Captain
" and was included on their 5th album "Only Revolutions
" and released as the third single from the album.
was originally set to be on "Only Revolutions
" but it was cut from the album. This track will possibly be released as a B-Side to "Only Revolutions
" single or on their future 6th studio album.
Sections from this song were used in their 2006 cover of a Weezer
song "Buddy Holly
" (for Kerrang!
magazine cover CD, High Voltage!: A Brief History of Rock
) and in the Puzzle album track 9/15ths.
These bonus features are as yet unavailable separately.
Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band from Kilmarnock, comprising Simon Neil , James Johnston and Ben Johnston...
, released 4 June 2007 - the album was later released in America in August. It is the band's first album since leaving Beggars Banquet
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
(though the sleeve artwork still features the Beggars Banquet logo).
The album reached #2 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
to widespread critical acclaim, receiving several perfect ratings and was voted the best album of 2007 by Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
and Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
. The album also reached #17 in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and #39 in the overall world charts. The album is certified Gold in the UK, having sold over 220,000 copies. It has as of February 2009, sold over 300,000 worldwide.
This album is notable for having somewhat more straightforward song structures and a more melodic overall sound than their previous work, while still retaining some more unusual elements.
Overview
The album was recorded from September to November 2006 at The Warehouse StudioThe Warehouse Studio
The Warehouse Studio is a music recording facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, owned by Bryan Adams.- The building :The Warehouse Studio is housed in the oldest brick building in Vancouver, which is located in present-day Gastown...
in Vancouver, Canada, and The Farm Studio in Gibsons, British Columbia
Gibsons, British Columbia
Gibsons is a coastal community of 4,200 located in southwestern British Columbia, Canada on the Strait of Georgia. It is the main marine gateway to the Sunshine Coast....
. It was produced by Garth Richardson
Garth Richardson
Garth "GGGarth" Richardson is a Canadian music producer and engineer. He is the son of renowned Canadian music producer Jack Richardson . Jack was a pioneer of the music recording industry in the 60's and 70's...
, engineered by Mike Fraser
Mike Fraser
Mike Fraser is a Canadian record producer, engineer, and mixer. Mike is best known for his work with AC/DC, Metallica, Aerosmith and Joe Satriani...
, mixed by Andy Wallace
Andy Wallace (producer)
Andy Wallace is a Grammy Award-winning music studio engineer with a long track record of successful productions, beginning with the 1986 production of the Run-DMC/Aerosmith collaboration on "Walk This Way" with Rick Rubin...
in New York, and mastered by Howie Weinberg
Howie Weinberg
Howie Weinberg is a music mastering engineer who has worked with numerous bands.- Career :He has worked at Masterdisk, New York City, since 1977...
at Masterdisk
Masterdisk
Masterdisk is an audio mastering and multimedia company in New York City, located on West 45th Street in Manhattan. They provide production services such as audio mastering, vinyl cutting and enhanced CD and DVD production....
. The band said that they had 40 tracks to choose from, and that they had been recording with composer Graeme Revell
Graeme Revell
Graeme Revell is a New Zealand film score composer.Revell attended Auckland Grammar School, where he finished his final year in 7A...
and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra whilst making the album. The artwork for Puzzle and its subsequent singles was designed by Storm Thorgerson
Storm Thorgerson
Storm Thorgerson is an English graphic designer, known for his work for rock bands such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, 10cc, Dream Theater, The Mars Volta, Muse, The Cranberries, and Biffy Clyro.-Biography:...
.It is possible that the artwork is a reference to the song Glitter and Trauma
Glitter and Trauma
"Glitter and Trauma" is a song by Biffy Clyro, which opens their 2004 album, Infinity Land.It was the first physical single from the album, and their eighth single overall. It reached number 21 in the UK Singles Chart.-Track listing:...
, which includes the line "your skin will break into jigsaw shaped pieces of meat."
Track listing
- Songs and lyrics by Simon Neil, Music by Biffy Clyro.
On the US & Japanese version the first track was split into "Intro" (2:34) & "Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies" (3:53)
Unreleased tracks
- "Help Me Become Captain" (Previously known as "Angels Fall")
was later re-named "Help Me Be Captain" and released as a B-side to "The Captain
The Captain (Biffy Clyro song)
"The Captain" is the third single from Biffy Clyro's fifth studio album, Only Revolutions, released on 26 October 2009. It features a prominent brass section throughout the song. The music video was released on 23 September on NME.com...
". The song remained the same as the original version played at live shows in 2005.
- "Captain, Sir..." (A counterpart to "Help Me Become Captain")
was originally a counterpart to "Help Me Become Captain". It was developed into "The Captain
The Captain (Biffy Clyro song)
"The Captain" is the third single from Biffy Clyro's fifth studio album, Only Revolutions, released on 26 October 2009. It features a prominent brass section throughout the song. The music video was released on 23 September on NME.com...
" and was included on their 5th album "Only Revolutions
Only Revolutions (Biffy Clyro album)
Only Revolutions is the fifth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro, released 9 November 2009 on 14th Floor Records. As with its predecessor, Puzzle, the album was produced by Garth Richardson. Upon release, Only Revolutions was a critical and commercial success...
" and released as the third single from the album.
- "I'm Probably In Your Pocket"
was originally set to be on "Only Revolutions
Only Revolutions (Biffy Clyro album)
Only Revolutions is the fifth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro, released 9 November 2009 on 14th Floor Records. As with its predecessor, Puzzle, the album was produced by Garth Richardson. Upon release, Only Revolutions was a critical and commercial success...
" but it was cut from the album. This track will possibly be released as a B-Side to "Only Revolutions
Only Revolutions (Biffy Clyro album)
Only Revolutions is the fifth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro, released 9 November 2009 on 14th Floor Records. As with its predecessor, Puzzle, the album was produced by Garth Richardson. Upon release, Only Revolutions was a critical and commercial success...
" single or on their future 6th studio album.
- "The Ghouls of Bymbombidor"
Sections from this song were used in their 2006 cover of a Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
song "Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly (song)
"Buddy Holly" is a song by the rock group Weezer, written by Rivers Cuomo. It was released as the second single from the band's debut album Weezer in 1994. The single was released on what would have been Buddy Holly's 58th birthday. The lyrics reference the song's 1950s namesake and actress Mary...
" (for Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine cover CD, High Voltage!: A Brief History of Rock
High Voltage!: A Brief History of Rock
High Voltage!: A Brief History of Rock is a Kerrang! covermount CD released on May 31, 2006, featuring many older rock songs, covered by newer rock artists.-Track listing:#"Start Today" - Fall Out Boy...
) and in the Puzzle album track 9/15ths.
Editions
- A Standard CD
- A Limited Edition CD/DVD which includes a bonus track, "Drop It" (a re-recording of a demo, "Drop It Dickhead"), as well as a bonus DVD, which includes a 40 minute documentary, The Making of Puzzle, as well as the videos for "Semi-Mental", "Saturday Superhouse" and "Living is a Problem Because Everything Dies".
- Fans who pre-ordered the iTunes downloadMusic downloadA music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
received a 10 minute video entitled Pieces, which contains footage of the band at their four night run at King Tut's Wah Wah HutKing Tut's Wah Wah HutKing Tut's Wah Wah Hut, also known as King Tut's, is a live music venue and bar in on St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland. It is owned and managed by Glasgow-based gig promoters DF Concerts...
, Glasgow, Scotland, in December 2005, as well as two exclusive bonus tracks:- "Semi-Mental (Acoustic)"
- "As Dust Dances (Acoustic)"
These bonus features are as yet unavailable separately.
Personnel
- Simon Neil – vocals, guitar, glockenspiel
- James Johnston – vocals, bass guitar
- Ben Johnston – vocals, drums
- Garth "GGGarth" Richardson – producer
- Andy Wallace - mixing
- Mike Fraser - engineer
- Howie Weinberg - mastering
- Graeme Revell – string and choir orchestrations
- Seattle Symphony Orchestra – violins, violas, cellos, choir
- Ben Kaplan – keyboard
- Mike Norman – keyboard, saxophone on "Now I'm Everyone"
- Dorothy Lawson – cello on "Machines"
- Ylber Sejdiu – Model on artwork
- Carolyn Roper - Body artist on artwork
Release history
Puzzle was released in various countries in 2007.| Country | Release date | Record label | Format | Catalogue number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
4 June 2007 | 14th Floor 14th Floor Records 14th Floor Records is a British record label founded in 2002 by Christian Tattersfield as a joint venture with Warner Music UK. The label has released albums by artists such as Biffy Clyro, Damien Rice, David Gray, Longview, Mark Joseph, Nerina Pallot, Ray LaMontagne, and The Wombats.Tattersfield... |
CD&DVD | 825646989355 |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
4 June 2007 | 14th Floor 14th Floor Records 14th Floor Records is a British record label founded in 2002 by Christian Tattersfield as a joint venture with Warner Music UK. The label has released albums by artists such as Biffy Clyro, Damien Rice, David Gray, Longview, Mark Joseph, Nerina Pallot, Ray LaMontagne, and The Wombats.Tattersfield... |
CD | 825646997633 |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
18 September 2007 | Roadrunner Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:... |
CD | 1686-179762 |
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
10 October 2007 | Roadrunner Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:... |
CD | RRCY-29146 |
| Japan (re-release) | 22 April 2009 | Roadrunner Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:... |
CD | RRCY-25106 |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
2007 | 14th Floor 14th Floor Records 14th Floor Records is a British record label founded in 2002 by Christian Tattersfield as a joint venture with Warner Music UK. The label has released albums by artists such as Biffy Clyro, Damien Rice, David Gray, Longview, Mark Joseph, Nerina Pallot, Ray LaMontagne, and The Wombats.Tattersfield... |
CD | 2980628 |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
2007 | 14th Floor 14th Floor Records 14th Floor Records is a British record label founded in 2002 by Christian Tattersfield as a joint venture with Warner Music UK. The label has released albums by artists such as Biffy Clyro, Damien Rice, David Gray, Longview, Mark Joseph, Nerina Pallot, Ray LaMontagne, and The Wombats.Tattersfield... |
CD | 2564699763 |