Blue Record
Blue Record is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Baroness. It was released in 2009 by Relapse Records.
| Blue Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 13, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | May–June 2009 | |||
| Studio | The Track Studio Plano, Texas Elmwood Studio Dallas, Texas | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:30 | |||
| Label | Relapse | |||
| Producer | John Congleton | |||
| Baroness chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Blue Record | ||||
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Blue Record is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Baroness. It was released in 2009 by Relapse Records.
Background
[edit]Baroness began writing Blue Record in 2007.[2] The album was recorded in May and June of 2009 at The Track Studio in Plano, Texas, and Elmwood Studio in Dallas, Texas.[3] It is the first Baroness album to feature guitarist Pete Adams and the first to be produced by John Congleton. It is the band's final studio recording to feature bassist Summer Welch before his departure in 2011.
Release
[edit]Blue Record was released on October 13, 2009 by Relapse Records.[4] It is available on CD, vinyl, cassette tape, and as a music download. The Japanese edition features a cover version of the Descendents song "Bikeage", which was recorded during same studio sessions as the album. A deluxe edition was released, and it includes a bonus disc with live audio from Baroness' performance at the 2009 Roadburn Festival.[5] The first cassette copies of Blue Record were released in 2025.[6][7]
On November 7, 2009, Baroness premiered a music video for the song "A Horse Called Golgotha".[8] On August 31, 2010, Relapse released "A Horse Called Golgotha" as a 7" single. The single includes the Japanese bonus track "Bikeage" as a B-side.[1] The song "Swollen and Halo" was included as part of the soundtrack to the 2010 video game MLB 10: The Show.[9]
Reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 87/100[10] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [3] |
| Alternative Press |  [11] |
| The Boston Phoenix |  [12] |
| Cokemachineglow | 84%[13] |
| Pitchfork | 8.5/10[14] |
| MetalSucks | [15] |
| Mojo | [16] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[17] |
| Rock Sound | 9/10[18] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.5/5[19] |
Blue Record was very well received by music critics. At Metacritic (a review aggregator site which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from music critics), based on 8 critics, the album received a score of 87/100, which indicates "universal acclaim".
Phil Freeman of AllMusic gave the album a perfect five-star rating, saying, "Baroness has made a subtle but unmistakable evolutionary leap on [Blue Record], their second full-length and a clear companion piece to 2007's Red Album." He called Blue Record "a ferocious album that's not afraid to be genuinely beautiful."[3] In a review for Rock Sound, Kevin Stuart-Panko wrote that "[Baroness'] range of dynamics has grown immensely," and "everything about 'Blue Album' sound larger-than-life." He rated the album 9/10.[18] In Grayson Haver Currin's review for Pitchfork, he gave the album an 8.5/10 rating, and stated, "Every song bleeds into the other, and its flow is impeccable... Blue Record never feels overthought or overworked." He concluded by saying, "Complex enough to reward repetitive listening and compact enough to encourage it, Blue Record is one of the year's most generous hours."[14] Cory S. of Scene Point Blank gave the album a rating of 8.4/10, calling it "more experimental, creative, and outgoing" than Red Album. He said that "Baroness have again created something great and unique with Blue Record and it's one of the strongest releases to come out of this year."[20]
Accolades
[edit]Decibel magazine named Blue Record the top album of 2009.[21] It was named "Best Sludge / Stoner Metal Album" at the 2009 Metal Storm Awards.[22] In 2013, Blue Record was named the 20th Greatest Metal Album in History by LA Weekly.[23]
Commercial performance
[edit]Blue Record was Baroness' first release to appear on music charts.[24] The album debuted at number 117 on the Billboard 200, selling 4,700 copies in its first week, which was the most of any metal release.[25] It spent twelve weeks on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, where it debuted in the top position.[26] It also appeared on Billboard's Tastemaker Albums, Independent Albums, and Top Hard Rock Albums charts.
Track listing
[edit]All lyrics are written by John Dyer Baizley; all music is composed by Baroness.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bullhead's Psalm" | 1:20 |
| 2. | "The Sweetest Curse" | 4:31 |
| 3. | "Jake Leg" | 4:23 |
| 4. | "Steel That Sleeps the Eye" | 2:38 |
| 5. | "Swollen and Halo" | 6:35 |
| 6. | "Ogeechee Hymnal" | 2:36 |
| 7. | "A Horse Called Golgotha" | 5:21 |
| 8. | "O'er Hell and Hide" | 4:22 |
| 9. | "War, Wisdom and Rhyme" | 4:26 |
| 10. | "Blackpowder Orchard" | 1:00 |
| 11. | "The Gnashing" | 4:18 |
| 12. | "Bullhead's Lament" | 3:00 |
| Total length: | 44:30 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Bikeage" (Descendents cover) | 2:19 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Birthing" (Live) | 8:56 |
| 2. | "Isak" (Live) | 4:22 |
| 3. | "Rays on Pinion" (Live) | 8:34 |
| 4. | "Wanderlust" (Live) | 5:14 |
| 5. | "Grad" (Live) | 7:22 |
Notes
- "The Birthing" (Live) includes a rendition of the Jimi Hendrix song "Machine Gun"
Personnel
[edit]
|
|
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[27] | 117 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[26] | 1 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[28] | 14 |
| US Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[29] | 12 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[30] | 15 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Gabe Vodicka (August 31, 2010). "Baroness cover the Descendents on 'Golgotha' 7-inch". creativeloafing.com. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ "Interview With John Baizley Of Baroness". November 27, 2007. Archived from the original on December 7, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c Freeman, Phil (October 13, 2009). "Blue Record - Baroness". AllMusic. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ "New Release: Baroness: Blue Record". Pitchfork. September 11, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ "'Blue Record' Streaming Online". October 6, 2009. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ "Baroness all-over-print cassettes are available & shipping now!". Facebook. Relapse Records. September 18, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ "BARONESS "All Over Print" Cassettes now!". relapse.com. September 18, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ "Baroness has premiered their new video for "A Horse Called Golgotha."". lambgoat.com. November 7, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ "MLB 10: The Show Soundtrack". blog.playstation.com. January 26, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "Blue Record by Baroness". Metacritic. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ^ Blue Record truly depicts a band at the peak of their powers. [Nov 2009, p.106]
- ^ Wood, Mikael (October 14, 2009). "Baroness - Blue Record". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
- ^ Alexander, Christopher (December 6, 2009). "Baroness - Blue Record". Cokemachineglow. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
- ^ a b Currin, Grayson (November 3, 2009). "Baroness: Blue Record | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
- ^ Rosenberg, Axl (October 13, 2009). "A SHORT REVIEW OF BARONESS' BLUE RECORD, DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU WANNA BUY THE ALBUM". MetalSucks. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
- ^ Baroness's second full-length somehow tops their powerhouse debut for riffs, songwriting and cohesiveness. [Feb 2010, p. 101]
- ^ Begrand, Adrien (November 3, 2009). "Baroness: Blue Record". PopMatters. Archived from the original on December 11, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ a b Stewart-Panko, Kevin (October 14, 2009). "Baroness - Blue Album | Reviews | Rock Sound". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
- ^ EMERITUS, Xenophanes (October 13, 2009). "Baroness - Blue Record". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
- ^ Cory S. (November 16, 2009). "Review Baroness Blue Record". Scene Point Blank. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "Decibel's Top 40 Albums of 2009". Stereogum. November 24, 2009. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
- ^ "The Metal Storm Awards 2009". Metal Storm. 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ "The 20 Greatest Metal Albums in History: The Complete List". Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
- ^ "Baroness Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ Bram Teitelman (October 21, 2009). "Metal By Numbers 10/21 – Baroness Has A New Record". metalinsider.net. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Baroness Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ "Baroness Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Baroness Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ "Baroness (Indie Store Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ "Baroness Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Blue Record (Deluxe Version) at Bandcamp (streamed copy where licensed)
- Blue Record at Discogs (list of releases)
