Freak Show (album)
| Freak Show | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Silverchair | ||||
| Released | 31 January 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 30 May – 5 November 1996 | |||
| Studio | Festival Studios, Pyrmont, New South Wales, Australia | |||
| Genre | Grunge | |||
| Length | 52:08 | |||
| Label | Murmur | |||
| Producer | Nick Launay | |||
| Silverchair chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Freak Show | ||||
| The Freak Box | |
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| Box set by Silverchair | |
| Released | November 1997 |
| Length | 44:51 |
| Label | Murmur |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Entertainment Weekly | C– |
| Rolling Stone |  |
Freak Show is the second studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair. It was recorded between May and November 1996 and released on 31 January 1997 by record labels Murmur and Epic. It was nominated for the 1997 ARIA Music Award for Best Group, but lost to Savage Garden.
Silverchair began recording their second studio album, Freak Show, in May 1996 while experiencing the success of their debut album, 1995's Frogstomp, in Australia and the US.
Freak Show was produced by Nick Launay (The Birthday Party, Models, Midnight Oil).
Frontman Daniel Johns described the album's title in 1997 by comparing the on-the-road life of Silverchair to that of a traveling carnival. The album's front cover image is an illustration of Grady Stiles, Jr., a sideshow performer afflicted with ectrodactyly. His stage name was "The Lobster Boy". The illustration is courtesy of Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Johns also stated that some of the lyrics were toned-down for release on Freak Show. Although, the majority of the songs found on the album still retain morbid and angst-fueled themes that include disease and suicide. One writer claimed the songs focused on the anger and backlash that the expectations of Frogstomp brought upon the band.
Many Freak Show songs such as "Slave", "Freak", "No Association", and "Nobody Came" were performed live two years prior to their release on the album. A demo version of "Freak" is featured in trailers for the 1995 space combat film Screamers. This is one of the aforementioned Freak Show songs that Silverchair debuted live as early as January 1995.
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