The Heavy (album)
Encyclopedia
The Heavy is the second album by American post-grunge
band U.P.O.
Released on March 9, 2004, it marks the band's return from a two-year hiatus and departure from Epic Records
. As common among sophomore independent albums, The Heavy could not repeat the success of U.P.O.'s major label debut
. It was made available on iTunes
on September 22, 2004.
The album's cover art features a man sporting ragged clothing and straw engorging much of his head. This image is reminiscent of the artwork featured on No Pleasantries and may be intended as a direct reference. The cover's Parental Advisory
label also has the word "mental" roughly etched in place of "parental."
and started gaining national radio support by February 2004. The following month, a music video
, U.P.O.'s first, was produced by A Band Apart
director Tom Gatsoulis.
U.P.O. embarked on The Heavy Tour beginning April 20 with an East Coast
schedule. The tour carried on across the country into late 2004. After an October concert that same year, guitarist Chris Weber
suffered a seizure
before being rushed to a hospital. It was soon revealed that he had a meningioma
brain tumor
; Weber successfully underwent surgery on November 17. The rest of the band briefly performed without him into November before taking a break.
's "a race for the cup" for the Stanley Cup Finals
. The latter was also included on UFC: Ultimate Beat Downs, Vol. 1. "The Undeground" was featured on the Ozzfest
Doggy Bag sampler.
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 March 9, 2004, it marks the band's return from a two-year hiatus and departure from Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. As common among sophomore independent albums, The Heavy could not repeat the success of U.P.O.'s major label debut
No Pleasantries
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....
. 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.
The album's cover art features a man sporting ragged clothing and straw engorging much of his head. This image is reminiscent of the artwork featured on No Pleasantries and may be intended as a direct reference. The cover's Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
label also has the word "mental" roughly etched in place of "parental."
Promotion and touring
The song "Free" became the album's singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and started gaining national radio support by February 2004. The following month, 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...
, U.P.O.'s first, was produced by A Band Apart
A Band Apart
A Band Apart Films was a production company created by Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender, which was active from 1991 to about 2006. Its name is a play on the French New Wave classic, Bande à part by filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, whose work was highly influential on the work of the company's members...
director Tom Gatsoulis.
U.P.O. embarked on The Heavy Tour beginning April 20 with an East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
schedule. The tour carried on across the country into late 2004. After an October concert that same year, guitarist Chris Weber
Chris Weber
Chris Weber is is an American musician best known as the guitarist and founder of the groups U.P.O. and Hollywood Rose...
suffered a seizure
Seizure
An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
before being rushed to a hospital. It was soon revealed that he had a meningioma
Meningioma
The word meningioma was first used by Harvey Cushing in 1922 to describe a tumor originating from the meninges, the membranous layers surrounding the CNS ....
brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
; Weber successfully underwent surgery on November 17. The rest of the band briefly performed without him into November before taking a break.
Song appearances
The tracks "Now You Want Me" and "It's Alright" were featured in ESPNESPN National Hockey Night
ESPN National Hockey Night was ESPN's weekly television broadcasts of National Hockey League regular season games and coverage of playoff games, broadcast from 1992 to 2004...
's "a race for the cup" for the Stanley Cup Finals
2004 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2004 Stanley Cup Finals was a best-of-seven playoff series that determined the National Hockey League champion for the 2003–04 season. As a culmination of the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Western Conference champion Calgary Flames...
. The latter was also included on UFC: Ultimate Beat Downs, Vol. 1. "The Undeground" was featured on the Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
Doggy Bag sampler.
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 ParasharRick ParasharRick Parashar is a music producer who came to prominence in the early 1990s through his work with grunge bands such as Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Blind Melon. Parashar co-founded London Bridge Studio with his brother, Raj...
- producer
External links
- [ allmusic - The Heavy]
- "Free" music video on Yahoo! MusicYahoo! MusicYahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...