Curb (album)

Most of the material on Nickelback's debut album was written by the band's lead vocalist and guitarist Chad Kroeger dating back as far as 1993, and was largely influenced by the music of Seattle during that period, particularly grunge.{{cite news |url=https://idobi.com/news/nickelbacks-next-single-inspired-by-how-you-remind-me-girl/ |title=Nickelback's Next Single Inspired By 'How You Remind Me' Girl |last=Fiasco |first=Lance |publisher=idobi Radio |date=July 17, 2002 |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }} The album's title track was written about and named after a teenage friend of Kroeger's called Kirby, who was involved in a road traffic accident in which the driver of the other vehicle was his girlfriend at the time, who was killed as a result of the collision. Speaking about the incident, Kroeger recalled that "He [Kirby] came over a hill in the middle of nowhere on a dirt gravel road and had a head-on collision with a car. He stumbled out of the car bleeding and bashed up pretty bad, and he opened up the [door of the other] car, and it's his girlfriend. She snuck out at the same time, was going to see him and he killed her on the back of a dirt road. I tried to imagine what they could possibly feel like, and that's where that song comes from."

Curb was recorded in January 1996 at Turtle Recording Studios in Richmond, British Columbia.{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/nickelback-wins-lawsuit/article1025105/ |title=Nickelback wins lawsuit |work=The Globe and Mail |publisher=The Woodbridge Company |date=July 27, 2002 |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }} The album was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Larry Anschell, founder of Turtle Recording.{{cite web |url=http://www.turtlerecording.com/larry-anschell.html |title=Larry Anschell |publisher=Turtle Recording |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }} "Fly" and "Window Shopper" were taken directly from the band's debut EP Hesher, which was recorded at Crosstown Studios in North Vancouver, British Columbia with producer Jeff Boyd; it was released earlier in the year.{{cite AV media notes |title=Curb |others=Nickelback |year=1996 |publisher=FACTOR }} "Where?" and "Left" were also originally released on Hesher,{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/hesher-mw0001028422 |title=Hesher - Nickelback: Songs, Reviews, Credits |work=AllMusic |publisher=All Media Network |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }} but were subsequently re-recorded for Curb. The album's title track features two guest musicians: drummer Boyd Grealy and cellist Ariel Watson. "Just Four" was re-recorded as "Just For" for the band's major label debut album Silver Side Up in 2001.{{cite web |url=http://store.roadrunnerrecords.com/nickelback-curb-cd.html |title=Nickelback Curb (CD) |publisher=Roadrunner Records |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

On January 25, 2002, Nickelback's former management company Amar Management filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the band that claimed that the group had "wrongfully terminated the contract and has failed to pay the management company commissions, disbursements, and various other fees as a result of services rendered".{{cite news |url=https://idobi.com/news/nickelback-sued-by-former-management-for-breach-of-contract/ |title=Nickelback Sued By Former Management For Breach Of Contract |last=Fiasco |first=Lance |publisher=idobi Radio |date=February 5, 2002 |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }} The band counter-claimed that the management company had "wrongfully retained or took possession of Curb from the plaintiffs [Nickelback] in August of 1998", seeking to regain ownership of the album's original master recordings. The latter claim was settled in Nickelback's favour, giving them the full rights to their debut album.{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/nickelback-get-their-curb-back/ |title=Nickelback Get Their "Curb" Back |publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date=July 28, 2002 |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }} In 2003, the album's producer Larry Anschell also sued the band for "production royalties and property rights" to the songs on Curb.{{cite news |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/nickelback-in-lawsuit-over-royalties/ |title=Nickelback In Lawsuit Over Royalties |publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date=May 28, 2003 |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = musicOMH

| rev1Score = Unfavorable{{cite web |url=https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/nickelback-curb |title=Nickelback – Curb |last=Rafaello |first=David |publisher=musicOMH |date=June 24, 2002 |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }}

| rev2 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev2Score = {{Rating|1.5|5}}{{cite book |editor-last=Brackett |editor-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian David |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |year=2004 |location=New York City, New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/n597 584] |url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac |url-access=registration |access-date=June 19, 2017 }}

|rev3= The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

|rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |publisher=Omnibus Press |edition=5th concise |year=2011 |last=Larkin |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Larkin (writer) }}

}}

Curb received mixed to negative reviews from critics. In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, published in 2004, Curb was awarded one and a half stars and criticised for its "generic heft [which] got the band nowhere". Reviewing the album for musicOMH, David Rafaello claimed that Curb is "stuck in a time capsule labelled 'mid-90s paralysis'", suggesting that it was only released internationally in 2002 in an attempt to "cash in on the momentary fame and success of the group". Continuing to condemn the album, Rafaello suggested that "It's hard to think of another recent release by any major force that is so monochromatic and derivative", berating frontman Chad Kroeger's vocal performance and labelling "most" of the songs on the record as "dull".

Upon its international release by Roadrunner Records in 2002, Curb registered at number 182 on the US Billboard 200.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/312256/nickelback/chart?f=305 |title=Billboard 200: Nickelback Chart History |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Prometheus Global Media |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }} The album also entered the UK Albums Chart at number 185,{{cite web |url=http://zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_N.HTM |title=Chart Log UK 1994–2010: Nadanuf – Michael Nyman |publisher=zobbel.de |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }} peaked at number 24 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart,{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/rock-and-metal-albums-chart/20020630/112/ |title=Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40: 30 June 2002 - 06 July 2002 |publisher=Official Charts Company |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }} reached number 79 on the German Albums Chart,{{cite web |url=http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Nickelback?sort=entry&type=longplay |title=Nickelback Longplay-Chartverfolgung |publisher=musicline.de |language=German |accessdate=June 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315174535/http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Nickelback?sort=entry&type=longplay |archive-date=March 15, 2017 |url-status=dead }} and reached number 72 on the Swiss Albums Chart.{{cite web |url=http://swisscharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Nickelback |title=Discographie Nickelback |work=swisscharts.com |publisher=Hung Medien |language=German |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }} Despite not charting in the band's home country, Curb was certified gold by Music Canada in 2010 for sales of 50,000 units;{{cite web |url=https://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/?fwp_gp_search=Nickelback |title=Gold/Platinum Search "Nickelback" |publisher=Music Canada |accessdate=June 19, 2017 }} in 2015, the album was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in the UK of 60,000 units.{{cite web |url=http://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx |title=Certified Awards |publisher=British Phonographic Industry |accessdate=June 19, 2017 |archive-date=July 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710164143/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx |url-status=dead }} Note: User must manually search for 'Nickelback' in order to yield results.

{{track listing

| all_lyrics = Chad Kroeger

| all_music = Nickelback, except where noted

| title1 = Little Friend

| length1 = 3:48

| title2 = Pusher

| length2 = 4:00

| title3 = Detangler

| length3 = 3:41

| title4 = Curb

| length4 = 4:51

| title5 = Where?{{Ref label|hitp|a|a}}{{Ref label|ud|b|b}}

| note5 = Nickelback, Jeff Boyd

| length5 = 4:27

| title6 = Falls Back On

| length6 = 2:57

| title7 = Sea Groove

| length7 = 3:57

| title8 = Fly{{Ref label|hitp|a|a}}

| note8 = Nickelback, Boyd

| length8 = 2:53

| title9 = Just Four{{Ref label|ud|c|c}}

| length9 = 3:53

| title10 = Left{{Ref label|hitp|a|a}}{{Ref label|ud|b|b}}

| note10 = Nickelback, Boyd

| length10 = 4:03

| title11 = Window Shopper{{Ref label|hitp|a|a}}¹

| note11 = Nickelback, Boyd

| length11 = 3:42

| title12 = I Don't Have

| length12 = 4:06

| total_length = 46:30

}}

:{{note label|hp|a|a}}Previously appeared on the Hesher EP (1996)

:{{note label|ud|b|b}}Re-recorded song from Hesher

:{{note label|ud|c|c}}Re-recorded as "Just For" on Silver Side Up (2001)

{{col-begin}}

Nickelback

• Chad Kroeger – vocals, lead guitar
• Ryan Peake – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Mike Kroeger – bass
• Brandon Kroeger – drums

{{col-3}}

Guest musicians

• Boyd Grealy – drums on "Curb"
• Ariel Watson – cello on "Curb"

{{col-3}}

Production (original 1996 release)

• Larry Anschell – production, engineering, mixing, mastering
• Jeff Boyd – production and engineering on "Fly" and "Window Shopper"
• George Leger – mastering
• Steve Boyd – cover artwork
• Pete Digiboy – interior and rear cover artwork

{{col-3}}

2002 reissue

• George Marino – mastering
• Lynda Kusnetz – creative director
• Mr. Scott – package design, photography
• Daniel Moss – rear cover photography

{{col-end}}

• The song "Fly" was featured in the movies Horsey and Barnone in 1997; the songs "Curb", "Detangler" and "Little Friend" were also featured in the latter.
• The song "Left" was featured in the Highlander: The Raven episode "War and Peace" in 1999.

^1. Song originally named "Windowshopper" on Hesher.

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{discogs master|173765|name=Curb}}

{{Nickelback}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Curb}}

Category:1996 debut albums

Category:Nickelback albums

Category:Grunge albums