Hot Fuss is the debut studio album by Las Vegas-based American rock band The Killers, released on June 7, 2004 in the United Kingdom and on June 15, 2004 in the United States.^[1]

Background[link]

The album was recorded between February and November 2003 at Cornerstone Studios in Berkeley, California, with Mark Needham and Jeff Saltzman; and in Las Vegas with the help of Corlene Byrd. Many of the tracks were originally recorded as demos, which the band decided to keep for their spontaneity. They did, however, have some tracks remixed by Alan Moulder at Eden Studios in London.

Hot Fuss is mainly influenced by New Wave and post-punk artists such as New Order, The Cure, Morrissey (with and without The Smiths), Duran Duran, and The Cars. Other influences include David Bowie, U2, Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, and Lou Reed.

The album includes the second and third parts of the so-called Murder Trilogy, "Midnight Show" and "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine". The first part, "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf", appears on The Killers' B-sides and rarities compilation, Sawdust.

Release and reception[link]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(66/100)[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]
BBC	(favorable)[5]
Entertainment Weekly	(C)[6]
NME	(7/10)[7]
Pitchfork Media	(5.2/10)[8]
Robert Christgau	[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
Slant Magazine	[11]
The Times	[12]
Uncut	[3]

Hot Fuss was released on 7 June 2004 in the United Kingdom and on 15 June 2004 in the United States.^[1] In 2005, it was reissued as a box of eleven 7" vinyl discs, with an album track on each A-side and non-album tracks on the B-sides.^[13] Rolling Stone ranked Hot Fuss the 43rd of its "100 Best Albums of the Decade", and it is one of the five most recent recordings listed among the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Hot Fuss was The Killers' first No. 1 album in the UK. It reached No. 7 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It is estimated to have sold more than 7 million copies worldwide, including more than 3 million in the United States and more than 2 million in the UK, where it has been certified six-times platinum. It has also been certified platinum or multi-platinum in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. Hot Fuss produced several commercially and critically successful singles, including "Mr. Brightside".

Track listing[link]

UK edition[link]

"Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" replaces "Change Your Mind" as Track 8 on the UK and Australian editions of Hot Fuss.

Vinyl edition[link]

"Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" was appended onto the end of the album.

European edition[link]

"Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" and the video of "Somebody Told Me" are featured as bonus tracks.

Limited edition[link]

Features the original US release track listing and three bonus tracks:

iTunes Deluxe Edition bonus tracks[link]

Limited edition 7" boxset bonus tracks[link]

Each track is found on the B-side of the corresponding track from the album. Also note, "All These Things That I've Done" is edited by fading out about 30 seconds before the track finishes.

Japan Limited Tour Edition bonus DVD[link]

1. "Somebody Told Me" (video)
2. "Mr. Brightside" (original video)
3. "Mr. Brightside" (new video)
4. "All These Things That I've Done" (video)

UK special edition bonus DVD[link]

1. "Smile Like You Mean It"
2. "All These Things I've Done"
3. "Somebody Told Me" (Glastonbury 2005)
4. "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" (Glastonbury 2005)
5. "Mr. Brightside" (Glastonbury 2005)

Charts and certifications[link]

End-of-decade chart positions[link]

In the United Kingdom Hot Fuss was the 26th best selling album of the decade, it also spent more weeks on the UK Album Chart than any other album, in total spending 173 weeks in the Top 75.^[31]

Awards and accolades[link]

Personnel[link]

The Killers

• Brandon Flowers – lead vocals, synthesizers
• Dave Keuning – guitar, background vocals
• Mark Stoermer – bass guitar, background vocals
• Ronnie Vannucci – drums, percussion

Technical personnel

• Brandon Flowers – writer, composer, producer
• Dave Keuning – writer, composer, producer
• Mark Stoermer – writer, composer, producer
• Ronnie Vannucci – writer, composer, producer
• Sweet Inspirations – gospel choir
• Jeff Saltzman – producer, engineer
• Corlene Byrd – engineer
• Alan Moulder – mixing
• Mark Needham – mixing

References[link]

External links[link]

• Island Records with American and British versions