We've All Been There
Encyclopedia
We've All Been There is the debut solo album
by American singer-songwriter
Alex Band
, best known for being the former lead vocalist
and songwriter
of rock
band The Calling
. The album was released on June 29, 2010 through Band's own label, AMB Records, in a distribution deal with EMI Records
.
The album was delayed numerous times since recording was originally completed back in 2007. Band had initially signed a deal with Geffen Records
, but later ventured onto his own label after eventually buying back the rights to the master tapes after Geffen had gone through major restructuring.
Lead single
"Tonight", was released along with a music video
on February 15, 2010.
had released their second album II
(2004), band mate Aaron Kamin
had amicably decided to work on separate projects with Band being left to do "pretty much everything on my own". This caused Band to put The Calling on hiatus
and venture into a solo career. Soon afterward, the vocalist had signed a deal with Geffen Records
to record a solo album.
Recording took place over a two year period, eventually encompassing five co-producers, primarily including John Fields (Switchfoot
), Daniel Damico and engineer Tal Herzberg, with Chuck Reed
and Matt Serletic
also working on tracks. Several session musicians were brought in to play on the record alongside Band, who himself contributed guitar
and bass
. Musicians such as Abe Laboriel Jr.
(drums
), Jamie Muhoberac
(keyboards
) and Tim Pierce (guitar) were also drafted in. Paul Buckmaster
(Elton John
) contributed string arrangements to several tracks, while Chris Lord-Alge
mixed the album, having previously done so with The Calling.
Later in 2007, Geffen went through major restructuring, this coupled with the death of Band's long-term Manager Stu Sobol, meant the album was left in limbo. Band explained, “At the same time, Stu Sobol, my manager for 10 years passed away, which was incredibly sad. So, between Geffen going through major changes and Stu passing away, I realised then that I had to make a serious leap of faith and believe in myself. I decided that, if I’m gonna fail, I’d rather fail doing what I want to do.” Band would spend a year negotiating with Geffen to buy back the master tapes.
Band later described the recording process as, "a huge challenge due to all the drama within the label". Alex named his favourite songs on the album as "Please" and "Leave", while also stating that for future albums the recording process would be much more enjoyable as he is now releasing his music independently. Speaking of the troubles he faced with Geffen among other labels, he explained that they wanted to make such "different sounding music" to what he was writing at the time, which eventually led him to set up his own independent label. Almost three years after recording had been initially finished, he agreeing a partnership deal with EMI Records
for distribution of the album throughout the world. The music video
for lead single
, "Tonight" was filmed in double time
in order to achieve the desired slowed down effects in the editing
stages. Band's new fiancée features in the video.
.
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
by American singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Alex Band
Alex Band
Alex Band is an American musician and singer-songwriter, best known for his work in his former band The Calling and their signature song "Wherever You Will Go", which peaked at #3 on the Top 40 in 2001.Along with bandmate and fellow songwriter Aaron Kamin as part of The Calling, the pair achieved...
, best known for being the former lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Calling
The Calling
The Calling is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, best known for their hit single, "Wherever You Will Go." The group formed in 2000 and have released two albums. They have been on an indefinite hiatus since 2005.-Band history:...
. The album was released on June 29, 2010 through Band's own label, AMB Records, in a distribution deal with EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
.
The album was delayed numerous times since recording was originally completed back in 2007. Band had initially signed a deal with Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, but later ventured onto his own label after eventually buying back the rights to the master tapes after Geffen had gone through major restructuring.
Lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
"Tonight", was released along with a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
on February 15, 2010.
Background
After The CallingThe Calling
The Calling is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, best known for their hit single, "Wherever You Will Go." The group formed in 2000 and have released two albums. They have been on an indefinite hiatus since 2005.-Band history:...
had released their second album II
Two (The Calling album)
Two is the second studio album by American rock band The Calling, released on June 8, 2004 through RCA Records...
(2004), band mate Aaron Kamin
Aaron Kamin
Aaron Kamin is an American guitarist and songwriter. He is a founding member of the band, The Calling.-Biography:...
had amicably decided to work on separate projects with Band being left to do "pretty much everything on my own". This caused Band to put The Calling on hiatus
Hiatus
Hiatus may refer to:*Recess *Hiatus, a small difference in pitch between two musical tones *Hiatus , a phonological term referring to the lack of a consonant separating two vowels in separate syllables, as in co-operation*Hiatus , a break of several weeks or more in television scheduling*Hiatus...
and venture into a solo career. Soon afterward, the vocalist had signed a deal with Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
to record a solo album.
Recording took place over a two year period, eventually encompassing five co-producers, primarily including John Fields (Switchfoot
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
), Daniel Damico and engineer Tal Herzberg, with Chuck Reed
Chuck Reed
Charles Rufus "Chuck" Reed is the current Mayor of San Jose, California.-Biography:Reed was born in Garden City, Kansas. Reed's high school basketball team became Kansas State Champions despite being from a very small, rural school. He joined the United States Air Force in 1970 after attending the...
and Matt Serletic
Matt Serletic
Matt Serletic is a record producer who has worked with several popular bands and artists for Atlantic Records, including Collective Soul, Matchbox Twenty, Blessid Union of Souls, Edwin McCain, Stacie Orrico, Taylor Hicks, Rob Thomas, and singer/songwriter Angie Aparo. Serletic will be working with...
also working on tracks. Several session musicians were brought in to play on the record alongside Band, who himself contributed guitar
Guitar
The 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...
and bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. Musicians such as Abe Laboriel Jr.
Abe Laboriel Jr.
Abe Laboriel Jr. is an American session drummer. He is the son of Mexican bassist Abraham Laboriel, Sr. and brother of producer, songwriter, and film composer Mateo Laboriel....
(drums
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
), Jamie Muhoberac
Jamie Muhoberac
Jamie Muhoberac is a session keyboardist with numerous credits, including The All-American Rejects, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones , Backstreet Boys, Aly & AJ, Bob Dylan, Goo Goo Dolls, Chris Cornell , My Chemical Romance, Paradise Lost, Girlfriend, Carmen Rizzo and Pet Shop Boys...
(keyboards
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
) and Tim Pierce (guitar) were also drafted in. Paul Buckmaster
Paul Buckmaster
Paul John Buckmaster is a Grammy Award-winning English artist, arranger and composer.He began learning the cello at the age of 4 and graduated from the Royal College of Music at age 16....
(Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
) contributed string arrangements to several tracks, while Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge is a mixer who has worked on various albums. He is the brother of Tom Lord-Alge, another audio engineer. Chris Lord-Alge is known for his extreme use of dynamic range compression in both hardware and software plug-in versions....
mixed the album, having previously done so with The Calling.
| "Fans should expect to hear a more mature sound with big anthemic songs that have tons of meaning behind them. I put everything I had into this album and had plenty of time to make each song as perfect as it could be. Needless to say, I am very proud of it." |
| — Alex Band describing We've All Been There. |
Later in 2007, Geffen went through major restructuring, this coupled with the death of Band's long-term Manager Stu Sobol, meant the album was left in limbo. Band explained, “At the same time, Stu Sobol, my manager for 10 years passed away, which was incredibly sad. So, between Geffen going through major changes and Stu passing away, I realised then that I had to make a serious leap of faith and believe in myself. I decided that, if I’m gonna fail, I’d rather fail doing what I want to do.” Band would spend a year negotiating with Geffen to buy back the master tapes.
Band later described the recording process as, "a huge challenge due to all the drama within the label". Alex named his favourite songs on the album as "Please" and "Leave", while also stating that for future albums the recording process would be much more enjoyable as he is now releasing his music independently. Speaking of the troubles he faced with Geffen among other labels, he explained that they wanted to make such "different sounding music" to what he was writing at the time, which eventually led him to set up his own independent label. Almost three years after recording had been initially finished, he agreeing a partnership deal with EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
for distribution of the album throughout the world. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
, "Tonight" was filmed in double time
Double-time
In music and dance, double-time is a type of meter and tempo or rhythmic feel. It is also associated with specific time signatures such as 2/2. Contrast with half time....
in order to achieve the desired slowed down effects in the editing
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
stages. Band's new fiancée features in the video.
Track listing
All songs written by Alex BandAlex Band
Alex Band is an American musician and singer-songwriter, best known for his work in his former band The Calling and their signature song "Wherever You Will Go", which peaked at #3 on the Top 40 in 2001.Along with bandmate and fellow songwriter Aaron Kamin as part of The Calling, the pair achieved...
.
- "We've All Been There" — 4:00
- "What Is Love" — 3:53
- "Tonight" — 3:57
- "Forever Yours" — 3:12
- "Please" — 3:53
- "Will Not Back Down" — 4:04
- "Euphoria" — 3:54
- "Never Let You Go" — 3:52
- "Only One" — 3:36
- "Leave (Today Is the Day)" — 3:34
- "Holding On" — 3:18
- "Without You" — 4:20
- "Love" — 3:38
- "Start Over Again" — 4:06
- "Cruel One (featuring Chantal Kreviazuk & Emmy Rossum) (Deluxe Edition Bonus Track)" - 4.32
International edition
- "We've All Been There" — 4:01
- "Tonight" — 4:01
- "Forever Yours" — 3:13
- "Will Not Back Down" — 4:06
- "Please" - 3:53
- "Without You" — 4:20
- "Only One" — 3:40
- "Leave (Today Is the Day)" — 3:35
- "Never Let You Go" — 3:52
- "Euphoria" — 3:55
- "What Is Love" — 3:54
- "Start Over Again" — 4:06
- "Love" — 3:39 (Bonus Track)
- "Tonight" (Acoustic Version) (Japan Bonus Track)
- "Rest Of Our Lives" (Japan Bonus Track)
Personnel
The following personnel contributed to We've All Been There:- Alex BandAlex BandAlex Band is an American musician and singer-songwriter, best known for his work in his former band The Calling and their signature song "Wherever You Will Go", which peaked at #3 on the Top 40 in 2001.Along with bandmate and fellow songwriter Aaron Kamin as part of The Calling, the pair achieved...
— lead vocals, backing vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, lyricsLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of... - Daniel Damico — songwriting, guitar, piano, programming, strings, engineering
- Jamie MuhoberacJamie MuhoberacJamie Muhoberac is a session keyboardist with numerous credits, including The All-American Rejects, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones , Backstreet Boys, Aly & AJ, Bob Dylan, Goo Goo Dolls, Chris Cornell , My Chemical Romance, Paradise Lost, Girlfriend, Carmen Rizzo and Pet Shop Boys...
— keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Tim Pierce — lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
- Abe Laboriel Jr.Abe Laboriel Jr.Abe Laboriel Jr. is an American session drummer. He is the son of Mexican bassist Abraham Laboriel, Sr. and brother of producer, songwriter, and film composer Mateo Laboriel....
— drums, percussion - Paul BuckmasterPaul BuckmasterPaul John Buckmaster is a Grammy Award-winning English artist, arranger and composer.He began learning the cello at the age of 4 and graduated from the Royal College of Music at age 16....
— string arrangement - Dorian CrozierDorian Crozier- Drummer :A session drummer whose credits include Pink, Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, the film Rent, Celine Dion, Backstreet Boys, and David Cook...
— additional drums - Kenny AronoffKenny AronoffKenny Aronoff is an American drummer. He has played drums for many musicians, including John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Belinda Carlisle, Elton John, John Fogerty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf, The BoDeans, Gregg Alexander, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Vasco Rossi, Cinderella and...
— additional drums - John Fields — producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- Chuck ReedChuck ReedCharles Rufus "Chuck" Reed is the current Mayor of San Jose, California.-Biography:Reed was born in Garden City, Kansas. Reed's high school basketball team became Kansas State Champions despite being from a very small, rural school. He joined the United States Air Force in 1970 after attending the...
— producer - Matt SerleticMatt SerleticMatt Serletic is a record producer who has worked with several popular bands and artists for Atlantic Records, including Collective Soul, Matchbox Twenty, Blessid Union of Souls, Edwin McCain, Stacie Orrico, Taylor Hicks, Rob Thomas, and singer/songwriter Angie Aparo. Serletic will be working with...
— producer - Tal Herzberg — producer
- Chris Lord-AlgeChris Lord-AlgeChris Lord-Alge is a mixer who has worked on various albums. He is the brother of Tom Lord-Alge, another audio engineer. Chris Lord-Alge is known for his extreme use of dynamic range compression in both hardware and software plug-in versions....
— mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
47 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
12 |