Maps of Music

Infinity on High (2007)

Where the lyrics of Infinity on High take you, and where it was really made.

The album's title comes from a letter Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo in 1888, not from a lyric or a song.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (2007)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — The album was recorded from July to October 2006 at Pass Studios in Los Angeles. The point marks the city centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Where the album was mixed (2007)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — The album was mixed at Paramount Recording Studios in Hollywood. The point marks the city centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Infinity on High is the third studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy
• Released on February 6, 2007 by Island Records
• Recorded from July to October 2006 at Pass Studios in Los Angeles, California
• Music composed by lead singer and guitarist Patrick Stump; lyrics written by bassist Pete Wentz
• Features guest artists and new producers, including Babyface and Jay-Z
• Experiments with R&B, soul, and flamenco, and uses horns, violins, and pianos not heard on earlier releases
• Follow-up to the 2005 album From Under the Cork Tree

Background

• After a two-month break following the Black Clouds and Underdogs tour, the band returned to the studio
• Writing began while on tour, and the band wanted to make a new album quickly to keep momentum
• Stump said he wanted to start recording earlier, but management urged the members to rest from constant touring
• Changes at Island Records postponed the studio schedule by three weeks
• During the break, the band covered 'What's This?' for the 2006 rerelease of The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack
• Wentz bought a house in Los Angeles and spent much time writing lyrics there

Recording

• Six weeks of pre-production began in Chicago before the group moved to the Swing House studios in Los Angeles
• Neal Avron, producer of the previous album, handled eleven of the fourteen tracks
• Babyface produced two songs, including 'I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)'
• Stump usually wrote melodies after Wentz sent lyrics; guitarist Joe Trohman later filled the open spaces with guitar parts
• Jay-Z's introduction to 'Thriller' was recorded while he was on tour in Australia

Cover

• Photography by Pamela Littky
• Artwork designed by Chuck Anderson of NoPattern; sets designed by Todd Fjelsted
• The cover shows a winged sheep named Franklyn in a bedroom with the moon and stars behind it

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Artist

Formation

• Fall Out Boy is an American rock band formed in 2001 in Wilmette, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.
• Pete Wentz and Joe Trohman began it as a pop-punk side project; Patrick Stump joined shortly after.
• Andy Hurley became the drummer after several earlier drummers.

Members

• Current members: Patrick Stump (lead vocals, guitar), Pete Wentz (bass), Joe Trohman (guitar), Andy Hurley (drums).
• Wentz writes the lyrics and Stump is the primary composer.

Career

• The debut album Take This to Your Grave (2003) became an underground success through heavy touring.
• From Under the Cork Tree (2005) brought mainstream success with the singles "Sugar, We're Goin Down" and "Dance, Dance", and earned a Best New Artist Grammy nomination.
• Infinity on High (2007) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
• After a hiatus from 2009 to 2012, the band returned with Save Rock and Roll (2013), its second number-one album.
• American Beauty/American Psycho (2015) and Mania (2018) also reached number one on the Billboard 200.
• So Much (for) Stardust (2023) marked a return to guitar-driven material.

Reception

At release

• The album received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising Stump's vocals and the band's new musical direction.
• Metacritic gave an average of 75 from 23 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews.
• Entertainment Weekly's Jody Rosen praised the band's new sense of swing on its R&B-influenced songs and said Stump had evolved into a superb frontman.
• Sputnikmusic said Stump's tone was smoother and more well-rounded and called Wentz's lyrics as sharp as ever.
• PopMatters called the album wildly exciting and experimental and said it greatly improved on From Under the Cork Tree.
• Billboard's Sven Philipp called it a shamelessly melodic, wild and powerful pop record and named Stump the album's true surprise.
• AllMusic's Cory Apar called the styles hit and miss and said the album was regrettably haphazard.
• IGN's Chad Grischow said the dramatic hooks seemed bloated at times.
• The album ranked No. 38 on Q's 50 Best Albums of 2007.

Reappraisal

• Some critics felt the album was overly ambitious and that the musical departure could alienate listeners.
• Some reviewers found the guest producers unnecessary, while still admiring the album's infectious nature.

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 260,000 copies.
• First US number one album for the band.
• Debuted at number one in New Zealand.
• Debuted at number three in the United Kingdom with 64,054 first-week sales.
• Debuted at number two in Canada with 21,000 first-week sales.
• Certified Platinum by the RIAA in April 2007.
• Certified Platinum by BPI for 300,000 units shipped in the United Kingdom.
• Has sold over two million copies worldwide and 1.4 million in the United States as of February 2013.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Infinity on High was the final release from Rabid Neurosis, a warez group that leaked 20,000 albums before their release.
• The band released the live EP Leaked in London, recorded at Hammersmith Palais, to encourage fans to buy the album after it leaked online two weeks early.
• On release day, February 6, 2007, the band played three free shows in Times Square, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
• Fall Out Boy tried to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by playing all seven continents in nine months, but could not fly to Antarctica due to poor weather.
• Wentz and Stump instead broke the world record for the most interviews conducted by a duo in 24 hours, setting the mark at seventy-four.
• Kanye West's remix of 'This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race' could not be included in time and was released in July 2007.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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