Westlife (album)

Westlife is the self-titled debut studio album by Irish boy band Westlife. The album was released on 1 November 1999, spawning five UK number one hit singles "Swear It Again", "If I Let You Go", "Flying Without Wings", the double A-side "I Have a Dream" / "Seasons in the Sun", and "Fool Again".

Background

Due to all five singles from the album peaking at number one on the UK Singles Chart in less than a year, Westlife created a chart history record that remains unbroken to date. Despite this, however, the album entered and peaked at number two, being beaten only by an extra 1,000 copies of Steptacular by Steps. The album became the eighth best-selling album of 1999 in the United Kingdom, and ended up being certified 4× Platinum. The album went on to spend seventy-four weeks in the UK Top 100. In 2000, the album was released in the United States and peaked at number 129 on the Billboard 200. The album also peaked at number 15 in Australia. Westlife also remains the best-selling international album ever in Indonesia and Philippines, receiving 20× platinum certifications for over 1 million copies sold in Indonesia and 25× Platinum certifications for over 500,000 units sold in the Philippines. In 2005, the album was released in a compilation box collection with Westlife's fourth studio album, Turnaround. Overall, the album has sold more than five million copies worldwide. A video album related to the release, entitled "The Westlife Story", was released in October 2000, peaking at number 15 on the UK Visual Chart. The release was available on both VHS and DVD. The DVD was later made available in a five disc set entitled "Westlife: The Complete Story".

Album

Albums of recorded music were developed in the early 20th century, first as books of individual 78rpm records, then from 1948 as vinyl LP records played at 33 ¹⁄₃ rpm. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though in the 21st century albums sales have mostly focused on compact disc (CD) and MP3 formats. The audio cassette was a format used in the late 1970s through to the 1990s alongside vinyl.

An album may be recorded in a recording studio (fixed or mobile), in a concert venue, at home, in the field, or a mix of places. Recording may take a few hours to several years to complete, usually in several takes with different parts recorded separately, and then brought or "mixed" together. Recordings that are done in one take without overdubbing are termed "live", even when done in a studio. Studios are built to absorb sound, eliminating reverberation, so as to assist in mixing different takes; other locations, such as concert venues and some "live rooms", allow for reverberation, which creates a "live" sound. The majority of studio recordings contain an abundance of editing, sound effects, voice adjustments, etc. With modern recording technology, musicians can be recorded in separate rooms or at separate times while listening to the other parts using headphones; with each part recorded as a separate track.

Westlife

Westlife were an Irish boy band, formed in July 1998 and disbanded in June 2012. Originally signed by Simon Cowell and managed by Louis Walsh, the group's final line-up consisted of Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, and Shane Filan. Brian McFadden was a member from July 1998 until his departure in March 2004.

Westlife sold over 50 million records worldwide, a total that included studio albums, singles, video releases, and compilation albums. The group accumulated 14 number-one singles in the United Kingdom. They achieved a total of 26 UK top ten singles over their 14-year career. In 2012, the Official Charts Company listed Westlife 34th amongst the biggest-selling singles artists in British music history. Despite their success worldwide, Westlife never managed to break into the U.S. market, achieving only one hit single in 2000, "Swear It Again".

Based on BPI certifications, the group have sold 11.1 million albums and 6.8 million singles in the UK.

History

Origin

Kian Egan, Markus Feehily and Shane Filan, along with fellow Sligo men Derrick Lacey, Graham Keighron, and Michael Garrett, were part of a six-member pop vocal group called Six as One, changed in 1997 to IOYOU. The group, managed by choreographer Mary McDonagh and two other informal managers, released a single titled "Together Girl Forever".

Greatest hits album

A greatest hits album, sometimes called a "best of" album or a catalog album, is a compilation of songs by a particular artist or band. Most often the track list contains previously released recordings with a high degree of notability. However, to increase the appeal, especially to people who already own the original release, it is common to include remixes and/or alternate takes of popular songs; even new material (previously unreleased). At times a greatest hits compilation is the original release for songs that have themselves been released as a single and charted successfully.

Notable compilations

Madonna's The Immaculate Collection is the best selling greatest hits compilation by a solo artist; all of the songs on it are presented in different versions than the original hit versions. The Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) is the best selling greatest hits compilation by a group and also one of the ten best selling albums in history. Greatest hits albums are typically produced after an artist has had enough successful songs to fill out an album release. Some artists, such as Mariah Carey, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Kenny Rogers, Aerosmith, Kiss, U2, Dolly Parton, Journey, Los Tigres del Norte, Queen, Kylie Minogue and Billy Joel, have released multiple greatest hits albums through their long careers. Some greatest hits albums are released only at the end of the artist or group's career. For example, My Chemical Romance released a greatest hits album after they disbanded. Other artists, like Eminem have released hits albums in the center of their success. He released Curtain Call: The Hits in 2005 and then Shady XV as a compilation album in 2014.

Our Own

Our Own (Russian: Свои, translit. Svoi) is a 2004 Russian drama film directed by Dmitri Meskhiyev. The film won the Golden George Award for Best Film at the 26th Moscow International Film Festival in June 2004. Meshiev also won the award for Best Director and Bohdan Stupka won the award for Best Actor.

Plot

It is October 1941. Soviet Russia has been attacked and invaded by the Germans. The country has begun total mobilization and fighting back. The Great Patriotic War had begun. The Germans occupy large parts of Soviet Russia, including the Pskov Region where some of the province is still free. In this province, a NKVD officer (Sergey Garmash) arrives on his motorcycle. He stops at the officer's building and on the highest floor and speaks to a NKVD-Officer who seems to be a major. He hands him the personal documents of a fallen Red Army soldier. The main NKVD officer known as the "Checkist" eats porridge and drinks milk. Suddenly a German grenade explodes. German special assault troops enter the building and attack the NKVD staff and soldiers. "Checkist" and his NKVD comrade, a political instructor called "Livshits" (Konstantin Khabensky) flee, amid the chaos and gunfire they change clothes in a local laundry, knowing that German troops shoot Red Army commanders, officers and political commissars. Eventually they are caught by soldiers from a German motorized unit who invaded the province and taken many prisoners. (Both Red Armists and local civilians). The prisoners are led westward to the local dislocation point of the German army.