Razorblade Suitcase | ||||
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Studio album by Bush | ||||
Released | 19 November 1996 | |||
Recorded | 1996, Sarm Hook End, Berks, England and Abbey Road Studios, London, England | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 61:43 | |||
Label | Trauma/Interscope | |||
Producer | Steve Albini | |||
Bush chronology | ||||
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Singles from Razorblade Suitcase | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Entertainment Weekly | C |
The Independent | (Negative) |
Rolling Stone | |
Select |
Razorblade Suitcase is the second studio album by British rock band Bush, released on 19 November 1996, through Trauma Records. It was the follow up to their multi-platinum album Sixteen Stone and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 293,000 copies during its first week of release in the US. To date it remains the only Bush album to top the Billboard 200. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London with engineer/producer Steve Albini, the album's sound has been compared by many to Nirvana's In Utero album, which was also produced and engineered by Albini.
The 20th anniversary of Razorblade Suitcase was marked by a reissue, officially titled Razorblade Suitcase (In Addition). It was released digitally on December 16, 2016, and on vinyl on February 10, 2017. The reissue includes the remastered album and four rare bonus tracks: "Broken TV", "Old", "Sleeper", and "Bubbles". Prior to the reissue, three of the four bonus tracks had been released as B-sides or found on compilations, but "Sleeper" had never received a proper release.
Gavin Rossdale wrote most of the songs for Razorblade Suitcase in under one month. "Swallowed", along with others from the album were written while on the road. In an interview with Deseret News published on 2 January 1997, Rossdale explained:
"I was trying to write songs while my life was falling apart. While my longtime girlfriend of five years was leaving and packing in one room, I was writing in the other room."
The band chose Steve Albini to produce the album. In an interview with Spin during the final stages of the recording process Rossdale was quoted as saying that Albini "has been more important to me in terms of records I've listened to than any other person." Around the same time Albini declared that he put more time and energy into Razorblade Suitcase than he had with any previous albums.