Product Overview
Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum / Columbia Audio CD 2009 / PARADISE62
UPC 886975231522 / 886975183128
West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is the third studio album by British indie rock band Kasabian, which was released on 5 June 2009. It was the band's first album not to feature Christopher Karloff, the band's lead guitarist and songwriter who departed during the writing stages of Empire (2006). Rhythm guitarist Sergio Pizzorno became lead songwriter and co-producer for the band.
The album was nominated for the 2009 Mercury Prize. In October 2009, it was voted the best album of the year by Q Magazine.
The West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum was a mental institution built in West Yorkshire, England in 1818. Sergio Pizzorno further explained the choice of album title: "The album isn't about the place, I just first heard about it on a TV documentary, and the words just struck me. I love the way it looked and the feeling it evokes. Apparently, it was one of the first loony bins for the poor, before that it was mainly rich people who got treatment." The album cover depicts the band "getting dressed up for a party at the asylum, looking in the mirror at the costumes". Inspiration for such cover originated from the artwork of Amon Düül II's album Made in Germany. In an interview with T4, the band said that each track is meant to represent an inmate within the asylum.
Tracklist:
| 1 | Underdog | 4:37 |
| 2 | Where Did All The Love Go? | 4:17 |
| 3 | Swarfiga | 2:18 |
| 4 | Fast Fuse | 4:10 |
| 5 | Take Aim | 5:23 |
| 6 | Thick As Thieves | 3:06 |
| 7 | West Ryder Silver Bullet | 5:15 |
| 8 | Vlad The Impaler | 4:44 |
| 9 | Ladies And Gentlemen, Roll The Dice |
3:33 |
| 10 | Secret Alphabets | 5:07 |
| 11 |
Fire | 4:13 |
| 12 | Happiness | 5:16 |
- Artwork By [Camera] – Benjamin McMahon
- Artwork By [Concept] – Andrew Whiston
- Artwork By [Graphic Design] – Tom Skipp
- Artwork By [Producer] – Jane Harrison
- Artwork By [Wardrobe] – Hannah Bhuija
- Engineer [Mix] – Marc Senesac
- Mastered By – Howie Weinberg
- Mixed By – Dan The Automator
- Photography By – Andrew Whiston
- Producer – Dan The Automator, Sergio Pizzorno
- Programmed By [Additional Programming] – Dan The Automator
- Songwriter – Helmut Zacharias (tracks: 10), Sergio Pizzorno (tracks: 1 to 12)
- Kasabian
- Tom Meighan – lead vocals (all tracks except "Swarfiga", "Take Aim", "Secret Alphabets" and "Happiness")
- Sergio Pizzorno – lead and rhythm guitar, synths, programming, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Take Aim", "Secret Alphabets" and "Happiness"
- Chris Edwards – bass guitar
- Ian Matthews – drums
- Additional personnel
- Dan the Automator – additional programming
- Jay Mehler – additional guitar on "Underdog", "Ladies and Gentlemen (Roll the Dice)" and "Happiness"
- Tim Carter – additional guitar, keyboards and percussion
- Daniel Ralph Martin – additional guitar on "Fast Fuse" and piano on "Happiness"
- Rosario Dawson – co-lead vocals on "West Ryder Silver Bullet"
- Ben Kealey – additional keyboards on "Ladies and Gentlemen (Roll the Dice)"
- Rosie Danvers – strings direction
- Wired Strings – strings on "Where Did All the Love Go?", "Take Aim", "West Ryder Silver Bullet" & "Secret Alphabets"
