Hed PE (standing for Higher Education Planet Earth/Planetary Evolution, typeset as (həd)p.e., (hed) Planet Earth, (Hed)pe or (Hed)PE is an American rock band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1994, the band is known for its eclectic genre-crossing style, predominately in the fusion of gangsta rap and punk rock it has termed "G-punk", but also for its reggae-fused music.
After releasing three albums on Jive Records, Hed PE left the label to record independently. Hed PE was signed with Suburban Noize Records from 2006 until 2010. Since 2006, the band has become known for its involvement in the 9/11 Truth movement, referencing it in many of their song lyrics and concerts, as well as the concept of the album New World Orphans. Since 2014, the band has been signed with Pavement Music.
To date, Hed PE has released twelve studio albums, one live album and three compilation albums, and has sold over 700,000 albums worldwide.
Anthology (stylised as ANThology) is the second studio album by American rock band Alien Ant Farm. It was released on March 6, 2001, through New Noize and DreamWorks Records. Following the self-release of the band's debut studio album, Greatest Hits (1999), they played several showcases in Los Angeles, California. At the end of 2000, Alien Ant Farm started recording their next album with producer Jay Baumgardner at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California. An alternative metal and nu metal release, critics compared the album to the works of Incubus and A Perfect Circle.
"Movies" was released as Anthology's lead single in January 2001. Alien Ant Farm signed with Papa Roach's label, New Noize, before embarking on a United States cross-country tour with Linkin Park and Taproot, and supporting Orgy on their headlining tour. Following a two-week stint in Europe supporting Papa Roach, "Smooth Criminal" was released as the album's second single in June 2001. They appeared on that year's Warped Tour, and then re-release "Movies" in early 2002. The band toured Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the US. The third single, "Attitude", was released in May 2002.
Anthology received generally positive reviews from music critics, some of whom commented on Alien Ant Farm's energy and the songs' diversity. The album charted at number 11 on the US Billboard 200, while also reaching the top 40 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand. It would later be certified platinum in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the US. "Smooth Criminal" peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100, alongside performing well on several Billboard component charts, and reached number one in Australia. "Movies" had some success on several Billboard component charts, while "Attitude" only charted in the UK.
Vocalist Dryden Mitchell, guitarist Terry Corso, bassist Tye Zamora, and drummer Mike Cosgrove formed Alien Ant Farm in 1996. Zamora and Cosgrove previously played in a Primus cover band. The same year as forming, the band released their debut EP $100 EP, and followed it up with their second EP Love Songs in 1998. Alien Ant Farm self-released their debut studio album Greatest Hits through their own record label Chick Music Records. It later won the award for Best Independent Album at the 1999 LA Music Awards. The band promoted the album with a tour in Europe, appearances at various festivals, and played several showcases in Los Angeles, California, in an attempt to secure a deal with another record label. After playing several shows together, Alien Ant Farm became well-acquainted with Papa Roach. When Papa Roach achieved commercial success, they were given ownership of the New Noize record label.
Alien Ant Farm was shopping around for a record deal, and an A&R person from New Noize eventually found them. While Alien Ant Farm was in Europe, producer Jay Baumgardner, known for his work with Korn and Slipknot, attended a Papa Roach show. A demo of Alien Ant Farm covering "Smooth Criminal" (1987) by Michael Jackson was playing over the speakers, which caught Baumgardner's attention. He proceeded to ask the DJ who it was, informing him that it was Alien Ant Farm; Baumgardner was a fan of Jackson's Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987). A month following this, after producing Infest (2000) by Papa Roach, the A&R representative for that band contacted Baumgardner: "'This band, Alien Ant Farm, I think I should sign them.’ I said, ‘Yeah, they do that cover of Michael Jackson. It’s incredible. I think it’s a hit.’ And he said, ‘Would you do the record if I sign them?’ I said, ‘Yeah!'" By this time, nu metal had becoming the dominant strain of rock music, replacing alternative rock and grunge.
At the end of 2000, Alien Ant Farm were recording their next album at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California, with Baumgardner. The band's enjoyed his work with the likes of Orgy and Papa Roach. Alien Ant Farm recorded two songs with him, before spending a month writing material. The rehearsal studio they used was located opposite Baumgardner's studio, which allowed him to witness what the band were working on at any given moment. They would tape ideas with a recorder, by which point, Mitchell would listen to it in his car and they would then come up with parts to add to it. During recording, James Murray acted as engineer and operated Pro Tools, with assistance by Justin Harvey; John Ewing and Brian Viture did additional Pro Tools work. Baumgardner cited Pro Tools as an important piece of equipment as it enabled them to "chop things up and edit things", and said that Linkin Park, one of the band's contemporaries, "epitomized what you could do with Pro Tools in rock". Mitchell said Baumgardner did not alter the songs that much, save for some "real minor stuff", such as switch parts around. Baumgardner mixed the recordings at NRG, with help from Daniel Certa, before Tom Baker mastered Anthology at Precision Mastering in Hollywood.
Musically, critics have described the sound of Anthology as alternative metal and nu metal, taking influence by alternative rock, and drawing comparisons to Make Yourself (1999) by Incubus and Mer de Noms (2000) by A Perfect Circle. The band attempted vocal harmonies in the vein of the Electric Light Orchestra, Steely Dan, and Queen. Mitchell's vocals were compared to Maynard James Keenan of Tool; he wrote many of the tracks. The opening track "Courage" details a relationship which has reached its breaking point. "Movies" uses staccato guitar parts against a funk-esque bassline. Mitchell said the song is about comparing a relationship to cinema. "Flesh and Bone" recalls the Police with Cosgrove's reggae-esque drum rhythms; Tye Zamora's brother Jon contributed additional background vocals to the song. At the suggestion of Zamora, Mitchell wrote the lyrics around religion, asking questions about people's beliefs. "Whisper" is an attack on the music industry; Cosgrove said it was about being turned down by labels after doing showcases for them.
The guitarwork in "Sticks and Stones" earned it a comparison to the work of Helmet and Prong. "Attitude" has a Latin beat, with percussion by Toto member Lenny Castro. The song is from the perspective of a girl expressing her anger, with the narrator explaining that her boyfriend is worse off. "Stranded" includes slide guitar by Dredg vocalist Gavin Hayes; "Wish" is the first-ever song Alien Ant Farm wrote and is indebted to the band's metal roots. "Smooth Criminal" is done in the nu metal style. Mitchell, whose first ever concert experience was seeing Jackson, explained that during one performance, Cosgrove and Zamora played a short snippet of it, which caught the attention of the crowd. Cosgrove subsequently bought a cassette of Bad so that the band could learn the track. The closing track "Universe" features a string arrangement by David Campbell. The hidden track "Orange Appeal" incorporates slide guitar by Hayes and flute by Yanick Vincent. It is a demo that dates from the band's first month of existence; Corso said they "kept putting stuff on top of. It was cool enough in the end to actually go on the album".
"Movies" was released as lead single from Anthology in January 2001. Alien Ant Farm toured the West Coast of the United States in January and February 2001, followed by a cross-country trek with Linkin Park and Taproot. Anthology was released on March 6, 2001, on New Noize and DreamWorks Records. Discussing the album's title, Mitchell said: "We called our first independent record Greatest Hits. And in a sense, a lot of bands' first record is their greatest hits because they are soon gone. [...] So we thought it would be funny to do ANThology for our second record since we already did our greatest hits." Around this time, Alien Ant Farm were supporting Orgy on the Vapor Transmission Tour. The music video for "Movies", which was directed by Marcos Siega, premiered via MTV2 on March 17, 2001. Mitchell said it was filmed over the course of 18 hours, "and no one was feeling the 'movie' vibe". Alien Ant Farm was due to support Papa Roach on a US headliner; however, it was canceled. Instead, they went on a club tour of the US West Coast, and supported Papa Roach on their European tour for two weeks.
"Smooth Criminal" was released as Anthology's second single to US radio stations on June 12, 2001. The band had no plans to release the track as a single until it started gaining airplay from WXRK-FM, based in New York City. The European CD version featured "Orange Appeal", "Denigrate", and the "Smooth Criminal" music video; the UK version swapped "Orange Appeal" for "Movies". The music video for "Smooth Criminal", which was directed by Marc Klasfeld, sees the band performing in the middle of a boxing ring. Mitchell explained that either their label or MTV was attempting to connect the band with a soundtrack for the WWE. Klasfeld, who was living in New York City, had heard the song playing while in a gym. He was a popular video director that mainly worked with hip hop acts by likes of Insane Clown Posse and Nelly. His initial reaction upon hearing the cover was to laugh: "I saw the sense of humor in it. I just thought it was hilarious that a metal band was covering Michael Jackson. It was perfectly within my sensibility". He promptly contacted Alien Ant Farm's label with the aim of working with them, which was in contrast from labels and artists contacting him first.
"Movies" was released in Europe on June 18, 2001, and includes "Pink Tea" and a live acoustic version of "Movies" as the B-sides, alongside the music video for "Movies". Alien Ant Farm appeared on the 2001 Warped Tour between June and August. Afterwards, they performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the United Kingdom. Alien Ant Farm took a few weeks off for the Christmas holidays, before touring Australia and New Zealand in early 2002. "Movies" was re-released as a single on February 4, 2002. The band decided to reissue "Movies", after the success of "Smooth Criminal", in an attempt to get the song to chart. Mitchell said that a number of radio pluggers "felt that ‘Movies’ was a big hit that got yanked a wee bit too early. Now that there’s some familiarity with the band, they want to try it again". The CD version included live versions of "Movies" and "Smooth Criminal", along with a new music video for the former. The new video was shot over three hours with Klasfeld, and was described by Corso as "really moving and action-packed". The video shows the band in a theatre watching a movie; the members jump into the screen and become a part of the film. The rest of the video has the band in costumes, such as the Ghostbusters from Ghostbusters (1984) and Oompa-Loompas from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), as they perform the song.
After a two-week stint in Europe, Alien Ant Farm returned to the US, and toured as part of the 2002 SnoCore Tour. "Attitude" was released as a UK single on May 13, to coincide with a tour there in the same month. The CD version included a remix and live acoustic versions of "Attitude", alongside live versions of "Universe" and "Stranded", and the music videos for the former two tracks. While traveling to a show, Alien Ant Farm was involved in a road accident near to Cáceres, Spain. Initial reporting said that the bus driver was killed, and Mitchell and Zamora ended up in hospital. The following day, the band explained they had been involved in a head-on collision, leaving their driver dead, and their security guard in critical condition. Six of Alien Ant Farm's crew members were also injured and taken to hospital with the band's members. Mitchell had sustained back injuries, and Cosgrove suffered a broken ankle. Zamora had foot injuries, while Cosgrove had cuts and bruises. Mitchell was moved to a special facility in London; he had a vertebral fracture, which prompt a metal rod being inserted into his back to stabilize his condition.[46] A week after the incident, the band canceled all of their shows for the rest of the month, and into June 2002. They returned to performing in December as part of the charity showcase Drum Day in Los Angeles.
"Movies", "Attitude" and "Smooth Criminal" were included on the band's first compilation album, The Best of Alien Ant Farm (2008). These three, plus "Sticks and Stones", were included on the band's second compilation album, Icon (2013); the European edition expanded the selection to include "Courage", "Flesh and Bone", "Whisper", "Summer", "Stranded", "Wish" and "Death Day". In January 2016, Alien Ant Farm performed Anthology in full on a tour of the UK, with support from InMe and the Dirty Youth. A second leg was held in October and November 2016 with support from Hed PE, Kaleido and Sumo Cyco.
Drowned in Sound writer Terry Bezer wrote Alien Ant Farm "offer a widely diverse set of tunes and [sic] all of which are of the highest standard", with Anthology containing "all you could ever want from a debut album and a whole lot more". He cited the band's "[l]ive-wire energy, powerful tunes from start to finish and, most importantly, a sense of unpredictability". Dotmusic's Chris Heath wrote Alien Ant Farm break "new ground [...] by exploring far more than the quiet-loud-rage-quiet formula with real singing and everything and a fair [dose] of pop melody". AllMusic reviewer Mario Mesquita Borges noted the album displays "the band's alternate dexterity, not only due to [...] Mitchell's revealing vocals, but also by virtue of their deliverance of full-blooded melodies". The staff at E! Online called the album "[m]ore diverse than you might think [...] mak[ing] this one Ant Farm that'll keep your attention".
Rolling Stone reviewer Barry Walters wrote that the band "boasts the mosh power of Papa Roach, but with a lot more ingenuity, tunes and chops, as if Korn had half-morphed into Cheap Trick". Sean Richardson of The Boston Phoenix said they were "no carbon-copy P-Roach imitation" as he felt that Mitchell was not as "angry or tortured" as their frontman Coby Dick. Wall of Sound's Daniel Durchholz considered Alien Ant Farm to be showing "some real potential. They're pissed, sure — who isn't these days? But the important thing is that the members of the band have a talent for songcraft." Kitty Empire of NME found Mitchell to be "over-emot[ing] at every turn [...] further slickening 'ANThology's pomp rock gloss". She added that they are "trying to make a mountain of an ant hill, where we'd be content with a record that just rocks". Melodic webmaster Johan Wippsson singled out "Movies" and "Smooth Criminal", before then noting that "the rest of the album isn't that special". He added, "[i]t's not bad at all, just a little bit uninteresting".
Anthology peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard 200. Outside of the US, it charted at number 11 in the UK, number 13 in Finland, number 18 in Australia, number 20 in Germany, number 21 in Ireland, number 22 in Belgium, number 24 in New Zealand, number 32 in Austria, and number 40 in Scotland. The album was later certified platinum by Music Canada in Canada, platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the UK, platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the US. Additionally, it received a gold certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIAA) in Australia.
"Smooth Criminal" reached number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also appeared on several Billboard component charts: number one on Alternative Airplay, number 12 on Mainstream Top 40, number 17 on Active rock, number 18 on Mainstream Rock Songs, number 23 on Radio Songs, and number 27 on Heritage Rock. Outside of the US, it peaked at number one in Australia, number two in Finland, number three in the UK, number four in New Zealand and Switzerland, number five in Sweden, and number six in Austria. The song was certified double platinum in Australia by the ARIA, and platinum in the UK by the BPI.
"Movies" appeared on several Billboard component charts: number 18 on Alternative Airplay, number 35 on Active Rock, and number 38 on Mainstream Rock Songs. It also charted at number five in the UK, number 29 in Australia, number 35 in New Zealand, and number 62 in Switzerland. "Movies" was certified silver in the UK by the BPI, while "Attitude" reached number 66 in the UK.
Fired Up is the debut solo album by English singer Alesha Dixon. Her first solo project, conceived after the disbandment of her former band, girl group Mis-Teeq, Dixon worked with a variety of producers on the album, including Peer Åström, Anders Bagge, Johnny Douglas, Paul Epworth, Brian Higgins, Richard Stannard, and Xenomania. Initially scheduled for a 6 November 2006 release through Polydor and Victor Entertainment in the United Kingdom, it was postponed indefinitely after Dixon was dropped by Polydor several days before its release.
The album was preceded by two singles, including lead single "Lipstick," a top twenty hit on the UK Singles Chart, and follow-up "Knockdown". Fired Up eventually received a physical release in Japan and Taiwan in 2008, where it was issued along with new artwork, a re-worked listing order, and additional tracks, including two remixes and the new track "Voodoo." Dixon later exclusively sold Fired Up in the UK as merchandise on her tour, The Alesha Show, supporting the album of the same name.
Dixon launched her solo career after Mis-Teeq's break-up in 2005 and signed a £500,000, three-album deal with Polydor Records. She spent a year writing and recording her solo debut album, working with a wide range of producers including Richard X, Xenomania, Johnny Douglas, Brian Higgins, Estelle and Paul Epworth. During this period, Dixon performed mononymously, known simply as "Alesha".
In June 2005, she announced her first solo single to be "Superficial". However, at the last minute, the song "Lipstick" was chosen as the first single. "Lipstick" was released on 14 August 2006, and charted at 14 on the UK Single Charts. Dixon released her second single "Knockdown" on 30 October 2006, which charted at 25 on the UK Download Chart. However, on the official UK Singles Charts, the single peaked at number 45, falling down to 68 the following week. On 6 November 2006, it was revealed that Dixon had been dropped by her label, Polydor Records. Polydor gave her full rights to her unreleased debut album, Fired Up.
15th Anniversary
To celebrate the album's 15th anniversary, "Fired Up" will be released on "lipstick pink" vinyl on Friday 24th November 2023 (Record Store Day). The release will be limited to 500 units and marks Dixon's first album release on vinyl. The 15th Anniversary vinyl edition will also feature updated artwork, which recreates the original UK artwork (albeit with slightly different font) and will contain the album's 12 tracks in the originally-intended running order.
Black and White is the third studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. It was released on 12 May 1978, through record label United Artists in most of the world and A&M in America.
As with the Stranglers' first two albums, Black and White was produced by Martin Rushent. The album sees the Stranglers adopting a more experimental approach to song structures and time signatures (for example, "Curfew" features 7/4 time).
The band recorded a version of "Sweden" sung in Swedish, called "Sverige", and released it in Sweden. The song was partly inspired by Cornwell's PhD placement at Lund University in the mid-1970s. In an anecdote related in the Swedish online magazine Blaskan, it is stated that the song was inspired by a disastrous visit to Sweden during a European tour, when a gig was violently interrupted by a gang of "raggare" (greasers).
The song title "Death and Night and Blood" is taken from a line from Yukio Mishima's novel Confessions of a Mask.
The song "In the Shadows" had previously been released as the B-side to the band's 1977 single "No More Heroes".
Black and White was released on 12 May 1978. The album peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, spending eighteen weeks on the chart.
The first 75,000 LPs came with a free white vinyl 7" composed of three tracks: "Walk On By" (a cover of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David song written for and originally recorded by Dionne Warwick), "Mean to Me" and "Tits".
The US version of the album, on the A&M label, was pressed on black and white marbled vinyl, but came without the three-track single.
Singles released from the album were "Nice 'n' Sleazy", b/w "Shut Up", and "Walk On By", b/w "Tank" and "Old Codger". "Old Codger" featured a guest vocal from jazz singer George Melly. An edited version of "Walk On By" with "Tank" was also pressed as a double A-side radio-play single.
Most of these tracks were included in the remastered 2001 CD re-issue of the album.
Reviews of the album were positive. NME called the 'A' side "by far the best work they've ever done", Tim Lott of Record Mirror said the album "belies my expectations of The Stranglers as a spent force" and Melody Maker stated the album, while not as good as their debut, showed that the band could "enlarge their ideas and still come up with good tunes".
Some retrospective critics view Black and White in a lesser light to the band's previous albums. AllMusic called it "arguably the weakest" of the Stranglers' first three albums, "yet it still has some absolutely stunning moments." Trouser Press wrote, "Black and White lacks only good songs. Except for "Nice 'n' Sleazy", most of the tracks are merely inferior rehashes of earlier work, making the LP easily forgettable."
Conversely, David Quantick writing for BBC Music said "The Stranglers turned everything round on their third album", stating that the album was both "essential" and "extraordinary" and "displayed clear influences on the work of Gang of Four and Joy Division.". Record Collector's Tim Peacock said Black and White "served notice that the Stranglers had already outstripped punk", calling it "stark, compelling and every inch as necessary as contemporaneous envelope-pushers including PiL's First Issue and Wire's Chairs Missing."
No More Heroes is the second studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. It was released on 23 September 1977, through record label United Artists in most of the world and A&M in the United States, five months after their debut album, Rattus Norvegicus.
No More Heroes was produced by Martin Rushent. The album consists of new material with four songs left over from the Rattus Norvegicus sessions ("Something Better Change", "Bitching", "Peasant in the Big Shitty" and "School Mam").
The album cover features a photo of a wreath placed on a coffin with the tails of several rats (the Stranglers' trademark). The brass plaque on the album cover was engraved by Steven Stapleton of Nurse with Wound.
Two singles were released from the album: "No More Heroes", and a double A-side of "Something Better Change" and the non-album track "Straighten Out".
No More Heroes has been praised by retrospective critics. AllMusic called No More Heroes "faster, nastier and better [than Rattus Norvegicus]. "At this point the Stranglers were on top of their game, and the ferocity and anger that suffuses this record would never be repeated." Trouser Press wrote that No More Heroes "continues in the same vein [as Rattus Norvegicus], but drops whatever hint of restraint may have been in force the first time around. Rude words and adult themes abound, with no punches pulled, from the blatant sexism of "Bring on the Nubiles" to the sarcastic attack on racism ("I Feel Like a Wog") to the suicide of a friend ("Dagenham Dave"). Despite the increased virulence, the music is even better than on the debut, introducing pop stylings that would later become a more common aspect of the Stranglers' character," finishing the review with "No More Heroes is easily [the Stranglers'] best album."
In 2000 it was voted number 427 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.
Rattus Norvegicus (alternative title The Stranglers IV) is the debut studio album by the Stranglers, released on 15 April 1977.
It was one of the highest-selling albums of the punk era in Britain, eventually achieving platinum record sales. Two of its tracks, "Peaches" and "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)", were released as 7-inch singles in the UK.
The album was originally going to be titled Dead on Arrival but it was changed at the last minute. The Stranglers IV prefix was a deliberate attempt by the band to cause confusion. The released title is the taxonomic name for the common brown rat. The album was produced in one week by Martin Rushent and was a snapshot of the band's live set at the time.
The first 10,000 copies of the original vinyl release included a free 7-inch single, containing "Peasant in the Big Shitty" (live) and "Choosey Susie". The album launch party was held in the Water Rat pub on the King's Road, in the World's End district of Chelsea.
Remastered versions of the album were reissued on CD in 1996, 2001 and 2018, and included additional tracks.
Face to Face: A Live Recording is a live album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1977. It was produced by Steve Harley and Tony Clark.
The Best Years of Our Lives is the third studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1975. It was the first album to feature Harley's name ahead of the band's (the band was previously known as Cockney Rebel). The album was produced by Harley and Alan Parsons, and contains the band's only UK number one, the million-selling "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)".[
Timeless Flight is the fourth studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1976. It was written and produced by Steve Harley.
