Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers
Glee Cast
ReleasedApril 19, 2011 (2011-04-19)
Recorded2010–2011
StudioQ Division (Somerville, Massachusetts)
New York City
GenrePop
Length41:42
LabelColumbia / 20th Century Fox TV
Producer
Glee Cast
chronology
Glee: The Music, Volume 5
(2011) 		Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers
(2011) 		Glee: The Music, Volume 6
(2011)

Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers is the seventh soundtrack album by the cast of

Dalton Academy Warblers, an all-male high school glee club from Westerville, Ohio. Darren Criss serves as lead vocalist, with Chris Colfer singing lead on one track and co-lead on a couple of others, while the Beelzebubs, an all-male a cappella group from Tufts University, provide background vocals. Dante Di Loreto and Brad Falchuk serve as the album's executive producers, and its tracks have collectively sold over 1.3 million copies.[1]

Background

Main article: The Dalton Academy Warblers

The Dalton Academy Warblers, an

Special Education" and joins the Warblers in performances, starting as a background singer with Train's "Hey, Soul Sister".[4][5] Kurt later duets with Blaine on Neon Trees' "Animal" and Hey Monday's "Candles".[6][7] Song arrangements were done by Beelzebubs alumnus Ed Boyer, and vocals for all songs were recorded at Q Division Studios in Somerville, with the exception of "Teenage Dream", which was done in New York City.[8][9][10]

The album was announced by Criss on March 7, 2011, when he appeared on

Live with Regis and Kelly.[11] Its title, front cover, and track listing were revealed in a press release on March 23, 2011, as well as its release date of April 19, 2011.[12] The cover art shows the Warblers' uniform, along with the logos of both the glee club and the school.[1] Two covers were arranged and released by the Beelzebubs prior to their involvement with Glee: Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills" and Robin Thicke's "When I Get You Alone", which were respectively included on the albums Next (2001) and Pandemonium (2007). Two tracks were never used on the series, and are exclusive to the album: a cover of Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb's "What Kind of Fool" and a cover of Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?".[13] The former was performed at the 2011 MusiCares Person of the Year gala and the latter was originally intended to appear in the Glee episode "Sexy", but did not.[1][9] "Teenage Dream" was previously included on Glee: The Music, Volume 4, released in November 2010.[14]

Composition

The album features thirteen covers, twelve of which feature a cappella backing from the Beelzebubs. The other, a cover of

hip hop, and are sometimes reinvented when rearranged.[15][16] Matt Diahl of the Los Angeles Times described Glee's version of "Teenage Dream" as "The Killers meet Sigur Rós meet the Jonas Brothers".[16] A cover of Train's "Hey, Soul Sister", which Diahl noted as similar in sound to a Bruno Mars song, required overdubbing to imitate the sound of a mandolin.[9][16] Other songs on the album also took advantage of overdubbing as well as multitrack recording to create a sound "larger" than what the Beelzebubs' eleven-member group could accomplish live.[17]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Chicago Sun-Times
[19]
Los Angeles Times[16]
The Salt Lake Tribune(B)[20]
Several critics felt Chris Colfer's presence on tracks like "Blackbird" and "Candles" was lacking in strength.

Professional critics have overall given Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers generally mixed reviews.

The Chicago Sun-Times also gave the album two out of four stars, stating, "over the course of 13 tracks the Warblers' gimmick just as often degrades into laughable self-parody."[19] David Burger of The Salt Lake Tribune enjoyed the a cappella songs in contrast to the series' conventional material, which he felt was "over-produced and over-orchestrated".[20]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number two on the US

Australian Albums Charts, the album debuted at numbers five and six, respectively.[24][25] In New Zealand, Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers debuted at number eleven.[26] The album peaked at number forty-one on the Mexican charts.[27] Meanwhile, the Beelzebubs have seen their releases undergo a four-fold increase in average sales per month.[17]

Promotion

Darren Criss (pictured) appeared with the Warblers on Today and The Ellen DeGeneres Show to promote the album

The first eleven tracks from the album were released as singles, available for digital download over the course of the season.[28] "Teenage Dream" debuted at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of November 27, 2010.[29] It was the best-selling song in the US that week, selling 214,000 copies, the largest figure for a Glee title, and has sold over 500,000 copies to date, having been certified a gold single on July 13, 2011.[30][31] The single also charted at number ten in Canada, eighteen in Ireland, twenty-four in Australia, and thirty-six in the United Kingdom.[32][33][34][35] Three other covers from the album have become top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Hey, Soul Sister", Pink's "Raise Your Glass", and "Blackbird", at numbers 29, 36, and 37, respectively.[36][37] The cover of "Blackbird" marks the first time the song has charted on the Hot 100.[37] "Hey, Soul Sister" also became a top 40 hit in both Canada and the UK.[35][38] Altogether, tracks by the Warblers have sold over 1.3 million copies.[1]

"Teenage Dream" was performed by Criss and the Warblers on December 5, 2010, for Trevor Live, an annual fundraising event by

Today in promotion of the album.[45][46] Criss and the Warblers were added to the 2011 concert tour, Glee Live! In Concert!, for both the four-week North American leg starting on May 21, and the ensuing leg in England and Ireland ending July 3.[47]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."
Richard Hughes
Keane3:04
12."What Kind of Fool"Albhy Galuten, Barry GibbBarbra Streisand and Barry Gibb4:08
13."Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"Carmine Appice, Duane Hitchings, Rod StewartRod Stewart3:00
Japanese bonus tracks[48]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artist(s)Length
14."I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You"Reggie Youngblood, Owen Holmes, Kevin Snow, Dawn Watley, Ali YoungbloodBlack Kids3:40

Personnel

Credits adapted from

Allmusic.[49]

Note: the term "group member" refers to the singers of the Tufts Beelzebubs, who voiced the Warblers, plus Darren Criss and Chris Colfer, who sang lead.

References

  1. ^
    Viacom. Archived from the original
    on May 25, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Bradley Buecker (director), Brad Falchuk (writer) (November 9, 2010). "Never Been Kissed". Glee. Season 2. Episode 6. Fox.
  3. ^ a b Goldberg, Rebecca; Shanahan, Martha (November 9, 2010). "Bubs to be heard but not seen on tonight's 'Glee'". The Tufts Daily. Medford. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  4. ^ Carol Banker (director), Ryan Murphy (writer) (November 23, 2010). "Furt". Glee. Season 2. Episode 8. Fox.
  5. ^ Gelman, Vlada (November 24, 2010). "A 'Glee' sneak peek: Will 'Hey Soul Sister' be Darren Criss' next hit?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  6. Tribune Media Services. Archived from the original
    on March 4, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  7. ^ Morgan, Katie (March 16, 2011). "'Glee's' New Directions, Blaine and Kurt Score Big at Regionals". Billboard. New York. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  8. ^ Exton, Emily (November 11, 2010). "'Glee': Wait, 'Teenage Dream' was sung by a real a cappella group?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c d Rome, Emily (April 19, 2011). "Warblers 'Glee' Album: A Track-by-Track Account From the Beelzebubs". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  10. ^ a b c d Cammorata, Nicole (April 19, 2011). "Beelzebubs singing with 'Glee'". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  11. ^ Tyler, Elizabeth (March 8, 2011). "Glee's Dalton Warblers to Release Their Very Own Album". Time. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  12. ^ "Glee: The Music Presents The Warblers Available April 19" (Press release). New York: Columbia Records. PR Newswire. March 23, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  13. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (March 23, 2011). "'Glee' Warblers Album Confirmed for April 19 Release". Billboard. New York. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  14. ^ "Glee: The Music, Volume 4 Available November 30" (Press release). New York: Columbia Records. PR Newswire. November 9, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  15. ^
    Rovi Corporation
    . Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  16. ^ a b c d e Diehl, Matt (April 20, 2011). "Album review: 'Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  17. ^ a b Rome, Emily (April 19, 2011). "'Glee': Meet the Real Dalton Academy Warblers". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  18. ^
    About.com. Archived from the original
    on September 5, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  19. ^
    The Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original
    on October 20, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  20. ^ a b Burger, David (April 19, 2011). "Reviews of Foo Fighters, Glee's Warblers, and new albums released today". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  21. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (April 27, 2011). "'Glee' Warblers Album Flies High on Billboard 200". Billboard. Los Angeles. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  22. ^ "Soundtracks: Week of May 07, 2011". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  23. ^ Caulfield, Keith (May 4, 2011). "Adele's '21' Marks Sixth Week At No. 1". Billboard. Los Angeles. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  24. QMI Agency
    . Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  25. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart: 02/05/2011". Australian Recording Industry Association. May 2, 2011. Archived from the original on April 25, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  26. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original
    on 19 March 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  27. ^ "SOUNDTRACK / GLEE CAST – GLEE: THE MUSIC PRESENTS THE WARBLERS (ALBUM)". mexicancharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  28. Amazon.com
    . Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  29. ^ "Hot 100: Week of November 27, 2010 (Biggest Jump)". Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  30. ^ Caulfield, Keith (November 17, 2010). "A 'Dream' Come True: 'Glee' Cast and Susan Boyle Top Charts". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  31. ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on February 25, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  32. ^ "Canadian Hot 100: Week of November 27, 2010 (Biggest Jump)". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  33. ^ "Glee Cast in Australian charts". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 30, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  34. ^ "Discography Glee Cast". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  35. ^ a b "The Official Charts Company – Glee Cast". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  36. ^ "Hot 100: Week of December 18, 2010 (Biggest Jump)". Billboard. December 18, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  37. ^
    Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original
    on October 4, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  38. ^ "Canadian Hot 100: Week of December 18, 2010 (Biggest Jump)". Billboard. December 18, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  39. Viacom. Archived from the original
    on April 26, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  40. Tribune Media Services. Archived from the original
    on March 12, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  41. AOL Music. AOL. Archived from the original
    on April 30, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  42. ^ "Watch 'Glee' Star Darren Criss Perform 'Teenage Dream' Live at 'Rolling Stone'". Rolling Stone. December 6, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  43. Tribune Media Services. Archived from the original
    on March 12, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  44. ^ "Darren Criss". Rolling Stone. April 25, 2011. Archived from the original on April 27, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  45. ^ Eggenberger, Nicole (April 19, 2011). "Watch Glee's Warblers Perform "Hey, Soul Sister" on 'Today'". OK!. Buzzmedia Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  46. ^ "Warblers say 'Raise Your Glass' to KLG, Hoda". MSNBC. Archived from the original on September 23, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  47. ^ "After record sell outs, Glee Live! In Concert! adds additional shows with new tickets available: Ashley Fink, "The Warblers" will join 18-city North American tour" (Press release). Fox Broadcasting Company. April 19, 2011. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  48. ^ "Glee: The Music Presents Warblers – TV Original Soundtrack". CDJapan. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  49. Rovi Corporation
    . Retrieved April 14, 2011.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Glee:_The_Music_Presents_the_Warblers&oldid=1283972345"