| Around the Fur | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 28, 1997 (1997-10-28) | |||
| Recorded | April–June 1997 | |||
| Studio | Studio Litho (Seattle) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 73:38 (CD and digital releases)41:29 (Vinyl releases) | |||
| Label | Maverick | |||
| Producer |
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| Deftones chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Around the Fur | ||||
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Around the Fur is the second studio album by the Americanalternative metal bandDeftones, released on October 28, 1997, byMaverick Records. The songs "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" were released as singles with accompanying music videos. The album was certified gold by theRIAA in 1999, and was later certified platinum in 2011.[1]
Around the Fur has been described asalternative metal,[2][3][4]nu metal,[5][6] andpost-hardcore.[7] GuitaristStephen Carpenter has since reflected, "We didn't really pay much attention to that. I remember when these subgenre names didn't exist. It was justmetal. So I don't think we made a decision to step away [from nu metal] – we've never paid attention to what anyone else was doing. We just did what we thought was right, and tried to make a killer album."[8] The producerTerry Date stated that the band wanted to become "more sophisticated" withAround the Fur.[8] Lyrically, much of the album addresses topics such as juvenile perception,existential angst, sex, romance, violence, the death of loved ones, and break-ups.[9]
Recording took place between April 1997 and June 1997 at Studio Litho in Seattle, which was owned byStone Gossard ofPearl Jam. At that time, Pearl Jam were working on their fifth studio albumYield, and had to use a different studio.[10] The band had gathered inspiration off of their own internal issues and personal incidents, as the four of them rented an apartment in Southern Seattle whilst they were writing and recording the album.[11] The singerChino Moreno and Carpenter recall the band often drank and partied frequently, even recalling random moments of writing where the bassistChi Cheng and Carpenter would smoke marijuana frequently and write riffs together; the two later included their voicemail of them smoking out of a bong as a hidden track between "MX" and "Damone".[12]
It was the second album to featureFrank Delgado under additional personnel; he eventually joined the band officially in 1999. The song "Headup" featured additional vocals byMax Cavalera ofSoulfly.
The album cover was shot by the photographerRick Kosick during a late-night party in Seattle where the band was recording. Upon seeing the candid photo of a woman, the band decided that they wanted to use it as the album cover. Kosick was unsure who the woman was, so the band had to find and track her down to obtain permission to use the photo, which she eventually granted.[13] The woman appearing on the cover is Lisa M. Hughes, a friend of Stephen Carpenter.[14] Hughes spoke publicly about the cover for the first time during the album's 20th anniversary in 2017.[15][16] Moreno has since expressed his dislike of the cover, calling it "horrible".[17]
In a 1998 interview withChart magazine, Moreno commented, "When we went in to make this record, we really didn't have a set idea of what we wanted to come out with." However, he felt that the album "fell into place" once the band had settled into the studio.[18] The band expanded its sound, spending more time with the producer Terry Date, and giving more thought to the album's production.Abe Cunningham varied his drum sound and experimented by using different types ofsnare drums on almost every track.[19] The album was praised for its loud-softdynamics, the flow of the tracks, Moreno's unusual vocals, and the strong rhythm section grooves created by Cunningham and Cheng.[18][20][21]
The album was highly anticipated, and propelled the band to fame in thealternative metal scene on the strength of radio and MTV airplay for the singles "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)".[22] The album's title track was also released as a promotional single.Around the Fur sold 43,000 copies in its first week of release, and entered theBillboard 200 at No. 29 (its peak position), remaining on the chart for 17 weeks.[21][23]Around the Fur went on to reachRIAA gold status on June 24, 1999, and platinum status on June 7, 2011.[24]
When the album was released onSpotify, it contained an alternate version of "Headup" running a full minute longer than the original release.[25]
In May 1997, whileAround the Fur was in the process of being recorded, the band performed two concerts at Bojangles inSacramento. These were their first shows since December 1996, with the band debuting severalAround the Fur songs that were still in the demo stages. Their next performance was on September 11, 1997, at The Press Club inSan Francisco. This concert saw the debut of live staples "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" and "My Own Summer (Shove It)".[26][27] Following the album's release in October 1997, Deftones toured North America/Europe with the Sacramento bandsFar andWill Haven.[28] The tour continued into early 1998.[28] Later in 1998, they made appearances at theWarped Tour (in the United States, New Zealand and Australia),Pinkpop Festival,Roskilde Festival andOzzfest,[28] as well as releasing alive EP on April 10, 1998. In September 1998, Deftones toured withRed Hot Chili Peppers, who were playing their first shows in over six years with the guitaristJohn Frusciante.[29]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [30] |
| Kerrang! | [31] |
| MusicHound Rock | [32] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[33] |
| Punknews.org |  [34] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [35] |
| Wall of Sound | 72/100[36] |
The album generally received positive reviews from music critics. Greg Corrao ofCMJ New Music Monthly remarked in November 1997, "This hard-hitting noise-fest finds the band once again furthering the cause of riff-heavy, bludgeoning rock also championed by the likes ofSoundgarden,Helmet andKyuss",[37] further adding that, "Those heavy sensibilities are paired with vocalist Chino Moreno's yearning whine, allowing the band to create [their] own kind of sub-metal."[37] He concluded his review by asserting that, "WithAround the Fur, Deftones have carved out their own place in heavy music's hard beaten path toward the year 2000."[37] In a retrospective review,AllMusic criticStephen Thomas Erlewine wrote: "Deftones tap into the same alternative metal vibe asKorn andL7, and while they don't have catchy riffs or a fully developed sound,Around the Fur suggests they're about to come into their own".[2] James P. Wisdom ofPitchfork described the songs from the album as "intense, harsh tunes",[33] while Punknews.org thought that the album "showcased a band aware of their flaws, structure and lyrical approach, and thus achieved an overall great improvement in said areas".Cite error: The<ref> tag has too many names (see thehelp page). Reyes-Kulkarni observed that the album "captures the first full blossoming of the duality that has come to define the Sacramento quintet's musical identity" and "set a new standard for '90s alt-metal and opened doors to what's possible when bands find the motivation to get heavy away from the brutish impulses that typically drive aggressive music."[38] He further noted that, while the album "sounds undeniably thicker and heavier" than the band's debut albumAdrenaline, Chino Moreno's new wave andpost-punk influences became increasingly evident: "OnAround the Fur, Moreno's love of new wave groups likeDepeche Mode andthe Cure began to rear its head in earnest."[38]
At the 1998Kerrang! Awards,Around the Fur won the award for "Best Album".[39]Metal Hammer included it as one of the ten best albums released in 1997.[40] They also listed it as being one of the best metal albums released between 1996 and 1997.[41] In 2017,Loudwire named it as the third best hard rock album of 1997.[42] WhenKerrang! ranked the eight albums Deftones had released as of May 2020,Around the Fur was placed at number four.[43]
In 2021, Moreno said thatAround The Fur is his favorite Deftones album.[44]
All tracks are written by Deftones, except "Headup", written by Deftones andMax Cavalera
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Own Summer (Shove It)" | 3:35 |
| 2. | "Lhabia" | 4:11 |
| 3. | "Mascara" | 3:45 |
| 4. | "Around the Fur" | 3:31 |
| 5. | "Rickets" | 2:42 |
| 6. | "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" | 5:08 |
| 7. | "Lotion" | 3:57 |
| 8. | "Dai the Flu" | 4:36 |
| 9. | "Headup" (featuringMax Cavalera) | 5:12 |
| 10. | "MX" (includes hidden tracks[note 1]) | 37:19 |
| Total length: | 73:56 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "MX" (excludes hidden tracks) | 4:52 |
| Total length: | 41:29 | |
Adapted credits from the liner notes ofAround the Fur.[45]
Deftones
Additional personnel
Production
Album[edit]
| Singles[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[54] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[55] | Gold | 7,500‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[56] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[1] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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| Singles |
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| Related articles | |
