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Five Score and Seven Years Ago

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Five Score and Seven Years Ago
Studio album by
Relient K
ReleasedMarch 6, 2007
RecordedLos Angeles, California
Nashville, Tennessee
StudioDark Horse Recording and Sound Kitchen (Franklin, Tennessee); s-s Studio (Spring Hill, Tennessee); Bay 7 Studios (Valley Village, California); Sparky Dark Studio (Calabasas, California); Resonate Music (Burbank, California).
GenreChristian rock, pop punk, alternative rock
Length51:12
LabelCapitol, Gotee
ProducerHoward Benson, Mark Lee Townsend, Matt Thiessen
Relient K chronology
Apathetic EP
(2005) 		Five Score and Seven Years Ago
(2007) 		Must Have Done Something Right EP
(2007)
Singles from Five Score and Seven Years Ago
  1. "Must Have Done Something Right"
    Released: November 28, 2006
  2. "Forgiven"
    Released: 2006
  3. "The Best Thing"
    Released: 2007
  4. "I Need You"
    Released: 2007
  5. "Give Until There's Nothing Left"
    Released: 2007
  6. "Devastation and Reform"
    Released: 2008

Five Score and Seven Years Ago is the fifth studio album by Christian rock band Relient K. It was released on March 6, 2007, and is the first full-length album by the band to feature bassist John Warne (replacing founding member Brian Pittman) and guitarist Jon Schneck. Furthermore, it would serve as drummer Dave Douglas' last album with the band until Air for Free (2016). Future drummer Ethan Luck makes his debut on the track "Deathbed".

Production

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Due to being signed with Capitol Records, the band was given the blessing of a pre-production period for the first time. Guitarist Matt Hoopes stated that this was a good thing, citing how the band members no longer all lived in Ohio.

While posting on the band and the recording process, a fan on CMCentral.com said, "They recorded for a couple weeks in LA with Howard Benson. This is the first time Relient K will use a different producer, as Mark Lee Townsend has recorded everything they've released up to this point. (Matt Thiessen has co-produced on a few things). They finished the album with Townsend at his studio."

The band's long-time producer Mark Lee Townsend also spoke of the album being recorded on his site. He produced the first track and the last track of the album, as well as "Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care".[citation needed] In one of his blogs, he said, "It was a great day in the studio with Relient K today. We've been working on a song for the record that is a bit of an epic in many ways with a ton of tracks and instruments. It's going to be pretty special when it all gets recorded and mixed. We are almost done with lead vocals on it and will be putting live strings on it next week, along with a few other parts that are a bit unconventional to pop punk. I'll keep you posted. The weather has been spectacular this last week and it's great for shooting hoops on breaks from the studio. Based on what I have heard from the tracks in L.A. and what we are doing here, the new album will be amazing."[This quote needs a citation]

Townsend also said later, "It's been a great week back in the studio with Relient K. We are working on a few album cuts and some additional acoustic versions of songs on the record. This week we got drums and bass done on the songs and will spend the next couple weeks filling out the rest of the songs. Matt is still finishing up some of the writing on a ballad we've been assembling and it's going to be an amazing track when we get done. It's one of those tracks where you just start putting it together, and it's very bare bones right now, but you know it's going to turn out really special. I heard a couple of the test mixes on some of the songs done in LA and it sounds fantastic and 'famous' IMHO."[This quote needs a citation]

Townsend also spoke of the epic track that he and Matt Thiessen were working on at that point, which was a cover of a popular Christmas song by James Krader. The song turned out to be "Deathbed". Townsend said, "Well, the Relient K album is pretty much done at this point. It's a fantastic piece of music from top to bottom and I'm sure the fans will love it. I'm sure they will have something posted on their MySpace or website with details and a bit of music. Poor Matt T had to work his butt off with me the last week as we added a bunch of instruments to the 11 minute epic we were working on. Matt dusted off his horn playing skills from high school and played trumpet, trombone, french horn, and baritone on the song. We clocked in at 115 tracks including live strings, horns, a bunch of mellotron stuff, 3 different drum kits, ukulele, sleigh bells, micromoog and more. We had fun working on the track with all the instruments, but it was a lot of work and I think we are all glad that it is done. JR McNeely mixed it over a couple of days and it sounds amazing. I think we all are stoked about it."[This quote needs a citation]

Title and cover art

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According to lead singer, Matt Thiessen, the album was created with a "Five" theme, as it is the band's fifth album, and for the first time Relient K has five members on an album. The "Seven Years Ago" links with the fact that the group's first album was created seven years prior to the release of this album, making for five albums in seven years. It also ties in with the famous line, "Four score and seven years ago", delivered by Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln is addressed in the first track, "Plead the Fifth". A poster advertising a concert for the band around the album's release depicted a cartoon Abraham Lincoln on it as well.

The cover of the album depicts the five band members staring up in the sky from a sidewalk, and they are all wearing parkas. Jon Schneck stands behind Matt Thiessen, so there are four shadows crossing the shadow of the curb, creating five in tally marks. Capitol Records released a promotional image about a month before the album's release, and the band's manager announced that it was not the album cover. The official cover was confirmed on the Gotee Records website.[1] The promo image showed five sticks made into tally marks, with seven leaves either on the sticks, or falling off them. This image was on the back of the promo insert that advertised the new Relient K fan club that came with the CD.

Release

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The music video for "Must Have Done Something Right" was posted online on February 10, 2007.[2] Five Score and Seven Years Ago was released on March 6, 2007, through Capitol. From early March to late May, the band went on a tour of the U.S. with support from Mae and Sherwood.[3] During this trek, they appeared at The Bamboozle festival.[4] A special edition of Five Score and Seven Years Ago was also released,[5] including a bonus DVD with roughly thirty minutes of acoustic performances shot in the Capitol A Studios and including track-to-track interviews with the band. Also included is a making-of feature on the "Must Have Done Something Right" music video as well as the video itself, which was directed by Marc Webb.[6] The album's cover also came with a special slip-cover that outlined the band members in orange drawings.

On June 6, 2007, the music video for "The Best Thing" was posted online.[7] From mid-October to early December, the group went on a co-headlining US tour with Switchfoot, dubbed The Appetite for Construction Tour.[8] A single, "Forgiven," which was released for the Christian radio market, began playing around December 1. Must Have Done Something Right was released to iTunes on November 28, along with a non-album bonus song titled "Fallen Man,"[9] also sometimes referred to as "(Hope for Every) Fallen Man."[10] The Best Buy exclusive download referenced above is an entirely new recording of "Fallen Man" and not the same as the iTunes track.[11] Between June and August 2008, the band performed on the 2008 edition of Warped Tour.[12] In October and November, the band went on tour with This Providence, Ludo and House of Heroes.[13] In November and December, the band went on the Winter Wonder-Slam Tour in the US with TobyMac. During the tour, the band performed Christmas songs alongside their regular songs.[14]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk.net(85%)[15]
AllMusic[16]
Blender[17]
Christian Music Today[18]
Cross Rhythms[19]
Jesus Freak Hideout[20]
Music Box[21]
The Music Zine[22]
Rolling Stone[23]
Spin[24]

Five Score and Seven Years Ago debuted at number six on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 64,000 copies in its first week.[25] As of July 11, 2007, it has sold 152,560 copies in the US. BuzzFeed included the album at No. 36 on the website's "36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F——ing Die" list.[26]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Matt Thiessen

Album release
No.TitleLength
1."Pleading the Fifth" (a cappella)1:13
2."Come Right Out and Say It"3:00
3."I Need You"3:18
4."The Best Thing"3:28
5."Forgiven"4:05
6."Must Have Done Something Right"3:19
7."Give Until There's Nothing Left"3:27
8."Devastation and Reform"3:41
9."I'm Taking You with Me"3:28
10."Faking My Own Suicide"3:23
11."Crayons Can Melt on Us for All I Care"0:12
12."Bite My Tongue"3:30
13."Up and Up"4:03
14."Deathbed" (featuring Jon Foreman of Switchfoot)11:05
Total length:51:12

Bonus tracks

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Wal-Mart Downloads

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  • "Up and Up (Acoustic Version)"
  • "Devastation and Reform (Video) [This is now available on iTunes in High-Quality iTunes Plus]"

Best Buy Exclusive Download

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  • "Fallen Man (Acoustic Version)"

iTunes Exclusive Download

[edit]

DVD bonus tracks

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The deluxe edition of the album features a DVD with six acoustic bonus tracks, recorded at the Capitol Studios.

  1. "I So Hate Consequences" (includes a piano-only chorus of "Life After Death and Taxes (Failure II)")
  2. "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been"
  3. "Faking My Own Suicide"
  4. "Sloop John B" (Beach Boys cover)
  5. "Give Until There's Nothing Left"
  6. "Devastation and Reform"

The DVD also features the making of the video "Must Have Done Something Right" and the video itself.

Chart positions and sales certifications

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In its four full weeks of being on the Billboard 200, Five Score and Seven Years Ago is eligible for a gold status in the United States and has sold over 750,000 copies worldwide.[citation needed]

Week Charting position Sales for week
March 6, 2007 6 64,000
March 13, 2007 23 24,387
March 20, 2007 31 17,648
March 27, 2007 39 10,884

Singles

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Credits

[edit]

Relient K

Additional personnel

Production

  • Jamie Feldman – A&R
  • Mark Lee Townsend – producer (1, 11, 14), engineer (1, 11, 14)
  • Matt Thiessen – producer (1, 11, 14)
  • Howard Benson – producer (2-10, 12, 13)
  • Mike Plotnikoff – recording (2-10, 12, 13)
  • Hatsukazu "Hatch" Inagaki – assistant engineer (2-10, 12, 13)
  • Paul DeCarli – Pro Tools editing
  • J.R. McNeely – mixing (1, 11, 14)
  • Chris Lord-Alge – mixing (2-10, 12, 13)
  • Adam Deane – mix assistant (1, 11, 14)
  • Keith Armstrong – mix assistant (2-10, 12, 13)
  • Nik Karpen – mix assistant (2-10, 12, 13)
  • Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York)
  • Eric Roinestad – art direction
  • Megan Steinman – art direction
  • Sunja Park – design
  • Ben Watts – photography
  • Jeff Risden – management
  • Mark Vangool – guitar technician
  • Jon Nicholson – drum technician

References

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  1. ^ "Welcome To The Official Site of Gotee Records". Gotee.com. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  2. ^ Paul, Aubin (February 10, 2007). "Relient K debuts video for 'Must Have Done Something Right'". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  3. ^ "Relient K touring with Mae and Sherwood from March to May". Alternative Press. December 12, 2006. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  4. ^ Paul, Aubin (December 13, 2006). "Bamboozle adds Blood Brothers, Catch 22, Bayside, Scary Kids, Starting Line". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  5. ^ "bookschristian.com". Musichristian.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  6. ^ "Relient K - Five Score and Seven Years Ago - Special Edition". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  7. ^ Paul, Aubin (June 6, 2007). "Relient K: 'The Best Thing'". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  8. ^ "Relient K/Switchfoot co-headlining tour announced". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. September 6, 2007. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  9. ^ [1] Archived June 21, 2007, at archive.today
  10. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 23, 2006. Retrieved December 27, 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ [2][dead link‍]
  12. ^ "Venues for Warped Tour 2008 revealed". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. March 12, 2008. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  13. ^ "Relient K touring in the fall with This Providence / Ludo / House Of Heroes". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. September 11, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  14. ^ "Relient K to tour with TobyMac". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. October 31, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  15. ^ "Relient K - Five Score and Seven Years Ago - Album Review". AbsolutePunk.net. March 6, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  16. ^ Five Score and Seven Years Ago at AllMusic
  17. ^ "Relient K : Five Score and Seven Years Ago Review on Blender". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 13, 2007.
  18. ^ "Five Score and Seven Years Ago - reviewed by Russ Breimeier - Crosswalk.com". Christianitytoday.com. March 1, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  19. ^ "Review: Five Score And Seven Years Ago - Relient K". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  20. ^ "Relient K, "Five Score And Seven Years Ago" Review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. March 6, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  21. ^ Michael Cooney (May 17, 2007). "Relient K - Five Score and Seven Years Ago (Album Review)". Musicbox-online.com. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  22. ^ "TheMusicZine : Album Review : Five Score and Seven Years Ago". www.themusiczine.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  23. ^ "Album Reviews and Ratings". Rolling Stone. March 25, 2014. Archived from the original on August 24, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  24. ^ "Reviews | 2007 | 03 | 0703_relientk". SPIN. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  25. ^ Katie Hasty, "Notorious B.I.G. Scores Another 'Great' On The Billboard 200", Billboard.com, March 14, 2007.
  26. ^ Sherman, Maria; Broderick, Ryan (July 2, 2013). "36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F----ing Die". BuzzFeed. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
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