The Better Life

Occupation

  • Vocals, Drums: Brad Arnold
  • Vocals, guitar Matt Roberts
  • Guitar: Chris Henderson
  • E -Bass: Todd Harrell

The Better Life (English for " A better life " ) is the first studio album by the American rock band 3 Doors Down. In the American region, it appeared on 8 February 2000 at Atlantic Records, in Europe it will be released on September 11 at Universal. With this album and the first single of the band Kryptonite international breakthrough. It could be placed in several countries in the charts. To date, it is the best selling album of the group.

  • 4.1 Kryptonite
  • 4.2 Loser
  • 4.3 Duck and Run
  • 4.4 Be Like That

Background

After the group in 1997, he recorded a first demo album and some live performances graduated in 1999 finally the first official album of the group was taken. Since the band at the time of the recording of the album only consisted of four members, played singer Brad Arnold, who makes its appearance on the following albums exclusively as a singer, the drums. For the subsequent tour, the band engaged with Richard Liles a drummer, so that the singer could completely focus on his "instrument ". While 3 Doors Down on their following works focused on collaborative songwriting, all texts were written in The Better Life by Brad Arnold, with Kryptonite and Loser are even two songs written entirely by Arnold included. In 2003, the group founded a charity for disadvantaged children, who named it after this album.

Title list

Reissues

The album was released over the years in several different versions. In addition to the normal music CD exist the following editions of The Better Life:

Bonus Disc Edition

In Australia, appeared on 19 June 2001 a first double CD version, which includes on the second disc next to the video for Loser and Duck and Run these songs:

Deluxe Edition

On 20 November 2007 the deluxe edition, which contains on a second CD, a live concert was released. This was in the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston (Texas ) recorded and includes the audio of the live DVD Away from the Sun - Live from Houston, which was already included as MP3 and WAV files to Selbiger DVD. The bonus CD contains the following songs:

Rarities Edition

On 2 November 2010, the bonus disc of the Deluxe Edition was released under the name The Better Life - Rarities Edition as a single CD. In this issue, therefore, is not the actual album.

Singles

Kryptonite

With their debut single the band succeeded promptly breakthrough. The song made ​​it to the U.S. in third place and received platinum in Germany, the song placed at No. 85 to Kryptonite also her first music video was released. The title was also released in September 2009 on the video game Guitar Hero 5.

Loser

With their second single put the band in the United States set a new record: At 21 weeks at the top of the Mainstream Rock Charts, the song kept there as long as no other title else in the official singles chart is placed the song at number only 55, in Germany ranked 78th singer Brad Arnold wrote loser on a cocaine- addicted friend from his childhood.

Duck and Run

With Duck and Run the group was yet another number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock charts. After the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the song ended up in the radio stations on a black list.

Be Like That

This song was the final single from the album and placed in the U.S. at number 24, a lyrically slightly revised version was released to the comedy film American Pie 2 on the single by Be Like That.

Reception

Worldwide have been sold by The Better Life than seven million albums, making it ranks 82 of the world's most successful albums between 2000 and 2009. In 2000 it was the world's eleven - best-selling album of the year. In the U.S., the debut album placed at number seven and was awarded six times platinum. In Germany the album reached number 45 in Austria on 56th place Michael Edele of laut.de certified the band that they " neither behind Creed, still behind Pearl Jam, must still hide behind Alice in Chains ". Matthias iron from cdstarts.de described the album as a " down to earth, above average, and above all catchy tune mainstream rock " Allmusic.com awarded three out of five stars. Thomas copper from the magazine Rock Hard was less impressed by the debut of the U.S. rockers and wrote: "It is the well-known situation. In the home, the U.S. of A, long decorated with gold and traded as hot Newcomertip, can hardly anyone in this country something called 3 Doors Down begin. The question of whether this will change in the near future, can probably only be answered with " yes " when it should succeed in Ami - four to land a single hit. Otherwise, one might have a hard time, because for native listeners sound 3 Doors Down with their typical U.S. college rock probably too unspectacular to land the big hit. While songs like the opener Kryptonite, Loser, or Life of My Own rocking quite nice, but always with braked foam, most likely comparable with Matchbox Twenty. All in all, a solid debut The Better Life. "He sounded the album was not hard enough and should sound less uniform. He forgave 6.5 out of a possible ten points, the readers, it achieved an average score of 7.2.

Record label Genre Singing Bass guitar Creed (band)
768810
de