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Franz Ferdinand are an indie rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2001. Named after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the band comprises Alex Kapranos (lead vocals and guitar), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards and backing vocals), and Paul Thomson (drums, percussion and backing vocals).
The band first experienced chart success when their second single "Take Me Out" reached #3 in the UK Charts,"Music Charts: "Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out". aCharts.us. Retrieved January 12, 2004. followed by their debut album Franz Ferdinand which debuted on the UK album chart at #3."Music Charts: "Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand". aCharts.us. Retrieved January 12, 2004. The band went on to win the 2004 Mercury Music Prize and two BRIT Awards in 2005 for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act. NME named Franz Ferdinand as their Album of the Year. From the album, three top-ten singles were released, "Take Me Out", "The Dark of the Matinée", "This Fire" and "Michael" that peaked on #17.
The band\'s second album, You Could Have It So Much Better, charted at #1 in the UK,"Music Charts: "Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better". aCharts.us. Retrieved October 9, 2005. selling 101,884 copies in its first week, yielding the top ten hit "Do You Want To" and other hits such as "Walk Away" and "The Fallen".
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The members of Franz Ferdinand had played previously in various bands during the 1990s including The Karelia, Yummy Fur, 10p Invaders and Embryo. Alex Kapranos and Paul Thomson had played together in Yummy Fur and subsequently teamed up to write songs. Around the same time Kapranos taught his friend Bob Hardy how to play bass. Kapranos met co-guitarist Nick McCarthy in 2001 who had returned to Scotland after studying jazz bass in Germany. Hiatt, Brian. "Hot Scots", RollingStone.com, 2005-09-22. Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
In May 2003, the band signed to Laurence Bell\'s independent record label, Domino Records. http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk/biog.php The band had recorded an EP which they intended to release themselves, instead it was released by Domino as Darts of Pleasure, in the latter part of 2003. The cover art was designed by Thomson. It reached #43 in the UK chart.[citation needed]. The band won the "Phillip Hall Radar Award" at the NME Awards of 2004, announced in late 2003.
The band moved to Gula Studios in Malmö, Sweden with Cardigans producer Tore Johansson to record their debut album. In January 2004 the single "Take Me Out" (sample ) reached #3 in the UK charts. The album, Franz Ferdinand, was released in early 2004, debuting at #3 in the UK Albums Chart in February 2004 and at #12 in the Australian album charts in April 2004. The album only reached the lowest levels of the Billboard 200 album charts in the US as of early 2004, but reached the top 5 of the indie rock chart and the Heatseeker chart for debut artists. After a couple of North American tours and heavy rotation of the "Take Me Out" video on MTV, the album eventually reached #32 on the Billboard 200 later in 2004 and sold over a million copies in the United States.
Franz Ferdinand received a generally strong positive response from critics. NME said that the band was the latest in the line of art school rock bands featuring Duran Duran, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Roxy Music, the Sex Pistols, Wire, Travis and Blur. It rated the album as 9 out of 10 and said: "This album is the latest and most intoxicating example of the wonderful pushing its way up between the ugly slabs of Pop Idol, nu metal and Britons aping American bands. What these blossoming bands have in common is the absolute conviction that rock ‘n’ roll is more than a career option."[citation needed]
The BBC\'s review of the album said: "At only 38 minutes long Franz Ferdinand may not be a particularly long album, but it is a masterpiece of funky, punky, suave cool from the first track to the last."Fernand, Simon (2004). "Franz Ferdinand" BBC.co.uk (accessed June 16, 2006) The All Music Guide rated the album as four out of five stars and said "Franz Ferdinand ends up being rewarding in different ways than the band\'s previous work was, but it\'s apparent that they\'re still one of the more exciting groups to come out of the garage-rock / post-punk revival."Phares, Heather (2004). "Review" All Music Guide (accessed June 16, 2006)
On September 7, 2004 the album was awarded the 2004 Mercury Music Prize. Take Me Out gained first place in the Australian Triple J Hottest 100 for 2004, winning more than twice the votes of the second-place entry. Franz Ferdinand proceeded to win an Ivor Novello Award in 2004 and two BRIT Awards in 2005. The avant-garde music video for Take Me Out earned them a Breakthrough Video MTV Award. The NME named Franz Ferdinand the best album of 2004NME.COM - The world\'s fastest music news service, music videos, interviews, photos and free stuff to win, and also placed it 38th on their 100 Best Albums of All Time list.2006 NME \'s 100 Best Albums Of All Time - All Time Top 100 Albums The band performed at the Grammy Awards of 2005 where they performed "Take Me Out" as a live medley with Los Lonely Boys, Maroon 5, Black Eyed Peas and Gwen Stefani.
The band spent much of 2005 in the studio in Scotland working on their follow-up album, You Could Have It So Much Better, which was released on 3 October 2005. The band initially intended to leave the album self-titled like their debut,McLean, Craig. "Ferdinand: No Bull". Spin. September 2005. but they changed it to You Could Have It So Much Better...With Franz Ferdinand before settling on the final title.Spitz, Marc. "Franz Ferdinand". Spin. November 2005. The album\'s cover design was modelled on Alexander Rodchenko\'s 1924 portrait of Lilya Brik. The band attempted to broaden its musical range on the album; Hardy said, "There\'s more to life than disco-beat guitar music". After the critical acclaim of their debut, some reviews towards the new album became more polarised, with some complaints that the recording was rushed.[citation needed] However, it was generally well-received in the press and seen as an album equal to, or better than their first by most critics, including the NME.[citation needed] It entered the UK Album Charts at Number 1 and the US charts at Number 8.
On the tour that followed the album release, Franz broke the record for the longest run at the Alexandra Palace, North London, by playing 4 sold out nights during November-December 2005.[citation needed] To support the album, four singles were released. Included in that set is a double A-side single that contained a video-clip only single as well (both the AA-side "L. Wells" and the video-clip "Jeremy Fraser" are not featured on the album, recorded in early 2006 during the band\'s tour of Australia in support of the album). Also included is another video-clip-only single called "Wine In the Afternoon" which is the B-side to Eleanor Put Your Boots On, and was also not featured on the album, but recorded on tour in Michigan. "Do You Want To" made it to number 4, while "Walk Away" and "The Fallen" / "L. Wells" entered the top 15 of the UK Singles Chart. The 4th and final single from the second album, "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" peaked at number 30.
According to NME in 2005, the band had no intentions to stop and continued to record at a relentless pace.NME staff writer(2005). NME.com "Franz Ferdinand reveal third album details" NME.com (accessed June 18, 2006) The band began new recording sessions in January 2006, coinciding with some live dates in Australia and New Zealand.Colothan, Scott (2005). "Franz Ferdinand To Start Work On New Album In January" Gigwise.com (accessed June 16, 2006)
The band however, revealed in early September 2006 that they were going to take a break after headlining the Carling WeekendNME staff writer(2006). NME.com "Franz Ferdinand reveal future plans". Retrieved on 2006-09-10., NME and playing two shows in Brazil.
The band have been recording their third studio album, expected to be released sometime in 2008.
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To meet Wikipedia\'s quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup because it is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (December 2007) |
The late Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria inspired the band\'s name
The name of the band was originally inspired by a racehorse called The Archduke.http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk/biog.php After seeing the horse run on television the band began to discuss Archduke Franz Ferdinand and thought it would be a good band name because of the sound of the name and the implications of the Archduke\'s death (his assassination was the most significant of many factors which led to World War I). They discussed it in a very early interview with the Scottish magazine Is This Music? Is This Music? (link dead), June 2003, SHOOTING STARS: FRANZ FERDINAND MARRY HISTORY AND ART, John Clarke.
"Mainly we just liked the way it sounded," says Bob. "We liked the alliteration." "He was an incredible figure as well," continues Alex. "His life, or at least the ending of it, was the catalyst for the complete transformation of the world ... he was a pivot for history. But I don\'t want to over-intellectualise the name thing. Basically a name should just sound good ... like music." Paul has a much grander notion. "I like the idea that, if we become popular, maybe the words Franz Ferdinand will make people think of the band instead of the historical figure."http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk/biog.php
The song "Take Me Out", on the band\'s first album, was the second single to be released by the band. The single release of "Take Me Out" came with the B-side, "All for You Sophia", based on the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife, whose name was Sophie, not Sophia. The band changed the name Sophie to Sophia to give the song a better ring to it.
The band is notable for its use of Russian avant-garde imagery in album and single covers. Examples include: "You Could Have It So Much Better," which references a 1924 portrait of Lilya Brik by Alexander Rodchenko; "Take Me Out," which references One-Sixth Part of the World, also by Alexander Rodchenko; "This Fire" which references Beat the white with the blue wedge by El Lissitzky; and "Michael", with single art based on A Proun by Lissitzky.
Also, in "Outsiders", the lyrics "In seventeen years will you still be Camille, Lee Miller, Gala or whatever" are a reference to the lovers of the artists Auguste Rodin, Man Ray and Salvador Dalí.
Many of the videos to promote the band\'s singles take inspiration from Russian avant-garde much like their CD sleeves.
The avant-garde music video for "Take Me Out", directed by Jonas Odell, was inspired by Dadaism, Busby Berkeley choreographies and Russian constructivist design.Franz Ferdinand \'Take Me Out\' XFM staff writer Alex Kapranos explained the many and varied influences behind the \'30s-style promo for second single \'Take Me Out\'.
"It\'s kind of two dimensional in a three dimensional style if that makes any sense. It\'s a montage of images; ourselves, pictures and things taken from other places and put together in a strange, abstract way. That\'s what gives the video that strange, jerky, style".Franz Ferdinand \'Take Me Out\' XFM staff writer The video for "This Fire" is similar to "Take Me Out" in style.
The lyrics of "Do You Want To" make reference to parties at the \'trendy\' Glasgow art gallery Transmission and the video includes a variety of the work of contemporary artist Vanessa Beecroft.
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Mercury Prize | Mercury Prize |
| NME Awards | Philip Hall Radar Award | |
| Q Awards | Best Video (Take Me Out) | |
| 2005 | BRIT Awards | Best Group |
| BRIT Awards | Best British Rock Act | |
| NME Awards | Best Track (Take Me Out) | |
| NME Awards | Best Album (Franz Ferdinand) | |
| 2006 | NME Awards | Best Live Band |
| "The Fallen" | |
 | |
| From You Could Have It So Much Better (2005) | |
| "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" | |
 | |
| From You Could Have It So Much Better (2005) | |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
| Franz Ferdinand | |
|---|---|
| Alex Kapranos · Robert Hardy · Nicholas McCarthy · Paul Thomson | |
| Studio albums | Franz Ferdinand · You Could Have It So Much Better · Upcoming third album |
| Singles | "Darts of Pleasure" · "Take Me Out" · "The Dark of the Matinée" · "Michael" · "This Fire" · "Do You Want To" · "Walk Away" · "The Fallen / L. Wells" · "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" |
| Other releases | Darts of Pleasure (EP) · Franz Ferdinand (DVD) |
| Production | Rich Costey · Tore Johansson |
| Related articles | Discography · Domino Records · Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand · The Karelia · Yummy Fur |
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