Maps of Music
Circus (1995)
Where the lyrics of Circus take you, and where it was really made.
Lenny Kravitz recorded Circus across three countries: a French château, a studio in the Bahamas, and a studio in New Jersey.
View on the mapKey places
Compass Point Studios, Nassau (1995)
Recording site Compass Point Studios — Circus was recorded in part at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas. The point marks the studio's building location. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Waterfront Studios, Hoboken (1995)
Recording site West's Hoboken apartment — Circus was recorded at Waterfront Studios in Hoboken, New Jersey. The point is set at the city centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Album story
Overview
- Circus: fourth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz
- Released in 1995 by Virgin Records
- Reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200
- Reached number five on the UK Albums Chart
- Kravitz's first US top 10 album and second UK top 10 album
- Track listing of 11 main songs plus a Japan bonus track, 'Another Life'
- Main themes: rock star lifestyles and religion
Background
- 'Rock and Roll Is Dead' deals with rock star lifestyles
- 'God Is Love' and 'The Resurrection' deal with religion
- Kravitz said making the album was a very tedious process
- He was unhappy with the music business at the time
- His mother's illness was also weighing on his mind during the work
Recording
- Recording locations: Chateau Des Conde in France, Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, and Waterfront Studios in Hoboken, New Jersey
- Recorded by Henry Hirsch at Waterfront Studios, NJ, Chateau Des Conde, France and Compass Point Studios, Bahamas
- Mixed by David Domanich, Henry Hirsch and Lenny Kravitz
- Mastered by Greg Calbi at Masterdisk
- Craig Ross played electric guitar on several tracks
- Henry Hirsch played bass on track 3 and Tony Breit played bass on track 2
Cover
- Art direction by Len Peltier
- Artwork design by Len Peltier and Steve Gerdes
- Photography by Ruvén Afanador
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org
Tracklist
| 1 | Rock and Roll Is Dead | 3:25 |
| 2 | Circus | 4:48 |
| 3 | Beyond the 7th Sky | 4:55 |
| 4 | Tunnel Vision | 4:19 |
| 5 | Can't Get You Off My Mind | 4:34 |
| 6 | Magdalene | 3:49 |
| 7 | God Is Love | 4:26 |
| 8 | Thin Ice | 5:33 |
| 9 | Don't Go and Put a Bullet in Your Head | 4:22 |
| 10 | In My Life Today | 6:29 |
| 11 | The Resurrection | 4:31 |
| 12 | Another Life | 4:00 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Career
- Born May 26, 1964 in New York City; American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor.
- Debut album Let Love Rule (1989) blends rock, funk, reggae, hard rock, soul, and R&B.
- Hit singles include "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" (1991) and "Again" (2000), both top ten on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Won four consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance from 1999 to 2002, a category record.
- Has sold over 40 million albums worldwide.
- Acted in Precious (2009) and the first two Hunger Games films (2012–13).
- Founded the creative studio Kravitz Design Inc.
Early life
- Raised partly in New York and partly in Los Angeles; began playing drums at age three.
- Introduced to rock music in Los Angeles, listening to the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Rob Wagner of The Tech wrote that Circus is a bit of a rip-off album, but that it could be justified
- Wagner argued Kravitz could be trying to revive rock and roll by copying past songs that worked
- Wagner said Circus sounds better than Kravitz's last album
- Wagner said Kravitz avoids the annoying sound he made on Are You Gonna Go My Way
- Mark Kemp of Rolling Stone said Kravitz falls back on the most transparent of the new paths his last album had offered
- Kemp said it was hard to tell whether the album was a calculated bid to cash in on arena rock or a desire to recreate the 1970s rock star
- Kemp said Kravitz was no longer the slick reassembler of funk, R&B and classic rock he had been two years earlier
Records
- US Billboard 200: number 10
- UK Albums Chart: number five
- Kravitz's first US top 10 album
- Kravitz's second UK top 10 album
- US sales: 534,000 copies as of March 2008
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- The album opens with 'Rock and Roll Is Dead', a track about rock star lifestyles
- Craig Ross played electric guitar on tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10
- Henry Hirsch both recorded and mixed the album, and played bass on track 3
- Japan issued a bonus track, 'Another Life', as track 12
- Kravitz's mother's illness was weighing on him while the album was being made
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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