Curb (album)

Curb is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Nickelback. Recorded at Turtle Recording Studios in Richmond, British Columbia with producer Larry Anschell, it was originally released exclusively in Canada by FACTOR (the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings) in 1996. The album was reissued locally later in the year by Shoreline Records. After Nickelback signed with Roadrunner Records in 1999, Curb was released internationally on June 25, 2002.

Curb
Studio album by Nickelback
Released	May 15, 1996
Recorded	January 1996
Studio	Turtle Recording Studios (Richmond, British Columbia) Crosstown Studios (North Vancouver, British Columbia)
Genre	Grunge, alternative metal
Length	46:21
Label	Shoreline Records
Producer	Larry Anschell Jeff Boyd
Nickelback chronology
Hesher (1996) Curb (1996) The State (1998)
Singles from Curb
"Fly" Released: August 1, 1996
Alternate cover
2002 reissue cover

After releasing their debut EP Hesher earlier in the year, Nickelback recorded their debut full-length album in 1996. Much of the material dates back as far as 1993, and was written primarily by the band's lead vocalist and guitarist Chad Kroeger, although all four band members are credited equally. Two songs from Hesher – "Where?" and "Left" – were re-recorded for the album, while the original versions of "Fly" and "Window Shopper" were included.

Upon its international release in 2002, Curb registered at number 182 on the US Billboard 200 and number 185 on the UK Albums Chart. The album was certified gold by Music Canada in 2010 and silver by the British Phonographic Industry in 2015. "Fly" was issued as the only single and music video from Curb after its release.

Background

Most of the material on Nickelback's debut album was written by the band's lead vocalist and guitarist Chad Kroeger dating back as far as 1993, and was largely influenced by the music of Seattle during that period, particularly grunge.[1] The album's title track was written about and named after a teenage friend of Kroeger's called Kirby, who was involved in a road traffic accident in which the driver of the other vehicle was his girlfriend at the time, who was killed as a result of the collision. Speaking about the incident, Kroeger recalled that "He [Kirby] came over a hill in the middle of nowhere on a dirt gravel road and had a head-on collision with a car. He stumbled out of the car bleeding and bashed up pretty bad, and he opened up the [door of the other] car, and it's his girlfriend. She snuck out at the same time, was going to see him and he killed her on the back of a dirt road. I tried to imagine what they could possibly feel like, and that's where that song comes from."[1]

Curb was recorded in January 1996 at Turtle Recording Studios in Richmond, British Columbia.[2][3] The album was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Larry Anschell,[4] founder of Turtle Recording.[5] "Fly" and "Window Shopper" were taken directly from the band's debut EP Hesher, which was recorded at Crosstown Studios North Vancouver, British Columbia with producer Jeff Boyd and released earlier in the year.[6] "Where?" and "Left" were also originally released on Hesher,[7] but were subsequently re-recorded for Curb. The album's title track features two guest musicians: drummer Boyd Grealy and cellist Ariel Watson.[6] "Just Four" was re-recorded for the band's 2001 major label debut album Silver Side Up.[8]

Controversy

On January 25, 2002, Nickelback's former management company Amar Management filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the band that claimed that the group had "wrongfully terminated the contract and has failed to pay the management company commissions, disbursements, and various other fees as a result of services rendered".[9] The band counter-claimed that the management company had "wrongfully retained or took possession of Curb from the plaintiffs [Nickelback] in August of 1998", seeking to regain ownership of the album's original master recordings.[2] The latter claim was settled in Nickelback's favour, giving them the full rights to their debut album.[10] In 2003, the album's producer Larry Anschell also sued the band for "production royalties and property rights" to the songs on Curb.[11]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
musicOMH	Unfavorable[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[13]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[14]

Curb received mixed to negative reviews from critics. In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, published in 2004, Curb was awarded one and a half stars and criticised for its "generic heft [which] got the band nowhere".[13] Reviewing the album for musicOMH, David Rafaello claimed that Curb is "stuck in a time capsule labelled 'mid-90s paralysis'", suggesting that it was only released internationally in 2002 in an attempt to "cash in on the momentary fame and success of the group".[12] Continuing to condemn the album, Rafaello suggested that "It's hard to think of another recent release by any major force that is so monochromatic and derivative", berating frontman Chad Kroeger's vocal performance and labelling "most" of the songs on the record as "dull".[12]

Upon its international release by Roadrunner Records in 2002, Curb registered at number 182 on the US Billboard 200.[15] The album also entered the UK Albums Chart at number 185,[16] peaked at number 24 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart,[17] reached number 79 on the German Albums Chart,[18] and reached number 72 on the Swiss Albums Chart.[19] Despite not charting in the band's home country, Curb was certified gold by Music Canada in 2010 for sales of 50,000 units,[20] and in 2015 was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in the UK of 60,000 units.[21]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Chad Kroeger; all music is composed by Nickelback, except where noted.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Little Friend"	3:48
2.	"Pusher"	4:00
3.	"Detangler"	3:41
4.	"Curb"	4:51
5.	"Where?" (Nickelback, Jeff Boyd)	4:27
6.	"Falls Back On"	2:57
7.	"Sea Groove"	3:58
8.	"Fly" (Nickelback, Boyd)	2:53
9.	"Just For"	3:54
10.	"Left" (Nickelback, Boyd)	4:03
11.	"Window Shopper" (Nickelback, Boyd)	3:42
12.	"I Don't Have"	4:07
Total length:		46:21

Personnel

• Chad Kroeger – vocals, lead guitar
• Ryan Peake – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Mike Kroeger – bass
• Brandon Kroeger – drums
• Boyd Grealy – drums on "Curb"
• Ariel Watson – cello on "Curb"
• Larry Anschell – production, engineering, mixing, mastering (original release)
• Jeff Boyd – production and engineering on "Fly" and "Window Shopper"
• George Leger – mastering (original release)
• George Marino – mastering (2002 reissue)
• Steve Boyd – cover artwork (original release)
• Pete Digiboy – interior and rear cover artwork (original release)
• Mr. Scott – package design, photography 2002 reissue)
• Daniel Moss – rear cover photography (2002 reissue)

Chart positions

Chart (2002)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18]	79
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19]	72
UK Albums (OCC)[16]	185
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[17]	24
US Billboard 200[15]	182

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[20]	Gold	50,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Silver	60,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone.

Appearances

• The song "Fly" was featured in the movies Horsey and Barnone in 1997; the songs "Curb", "Detangler" and "Little Friend" were also featured in the latter.

References

1. Fiasco, Lance (July 17, 2002). "Nickelback's Next Single Inspired By 'How You Remind Me' Girl". idobi Radio. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
2. "Nickelback wins lawsuit". The Globe and Mail. The Woodbridge Company. July 27, 2002. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
3. "Curb - Nickelback: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
4. "Curb - Nickelback: Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
5. "Larry Anschell". Turtle Recording. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
6. Curb (Media notes). Nickelback. FACTOR. 1996.CS1 maint: others (link)
7. "Hesher - Nickelback: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
8. "Nickelback Curb (CD)". Roadrunner Records. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
9. Fiasco, Lance (February 5, 2002). "Nickelback Sued By Former Management For Breach Of Contract". idobi Radio. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
10. "Nickelback Get Their "Curb" Back". Blabbermouth.net. July 28, 2002. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
11. "Nickelback In Lawsuit Over Royalties". Blabbermouth.net. May 28, 2003. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
12. Rafaello, David (June 24, 2002). "Nickelback – Curb". musicOMH. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
13. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 584. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
14. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press.
15. "Billboard 200: Nickelback Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
16. "Chart Log UK 1994–2010: Nadanuf – Michael Nyman". zobbel.de. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
17. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40: 30 June 2002 - 06 July 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
18. "Nickelback Longplay-Chartverfolgung" (in German). musicline.de. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
19. "Discographie Nickelback". swisscharts.com (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
20. "Gold/Platinum Search "Nickelback"". Music Canada. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
21. "Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 19, 2017. Note: User must manually search for 'Nickelback' in order to yield results.

External links

• Curb at Discogs (list of releases)