The Man Who
The Man Who is the second studio album by the Scottish rock band Travis. The album was released on 24 May 1999 through Independiente. It saw a change in musical direction for the band, moving away from the rockier tone of their debut Good Feeling (1997). Four singles were released: "Writing to Reach You", "Driftwood", and the top 10 hits "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" and "Turn".
This article is about the album. For the 1921 film, see The Man Who (film).The Man Who
24 May 1999
1998–1999
- Abbey Road (London, England)
- RAK (London)
- Roundhouse (London)
- Mayfair (London)
- Chateau de la Rouge Motte (Normandy, France)
47:33
- Nigel Godrich
- Ian Grimble
- Mike Hedges
The Man Who initially received mixed reviews and sold slowly. Boosted by the success of "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" and the band's appearance at the 1999 Glastonbury Festival, it eventually spent a total of 9 weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart and brought the band international recognition, with retrospective reviews being more positive. As of 2018, according to Concord Music, The Man Who has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide. It was among ten albums nominated for the best British album of the previous 30 years by the Brit Awards in 2010, losing to (What's the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis.[5]
Background and recording[edit]
The Man Who was produced by Nigel Godrich and partially recorded at producer Mike Hedges' chateau in France. The majority of the songs were written before the band's debut album Good Feeling (1997) was released; "Writing to Reach You", "The Fear" and "Luv" were written around 1995–96, while "As You Are", "Turn" and "She's So Strange" date back as far as 1993 and the Glass Onion EP.[6] The band continued recording at studios including RAK Studios and Abbey Road Studios in London.[6] "[Good Feeling] was recorded with no trickery and it became this supposedly 'schizophrenic' record," said bass guitarist Dougie Payne. "[The Man Who] was recorded over six months in six different studios, using more instrumentation, and it's turned into this weirdly cohesive piece of work."[7]
The title The Man Who is derived from the book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (1985) by neurologist Oliver Sacks.[8][9] The album's sleeve notes include a dedication to film director Stanley Kubrick, who had died a few months prior to the album's release.[9]
Legacy[edit]
In 2006, The Man Who was named the 70th greatest album of all time by Q.[34] At the 2010 Brit Awards, it was nominated for the Best Album of the Past 30 Years award, losing to Oasis's (What's the Story) Morning Glory?[35] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[36] As of May 2016, The Man Who has sold 2,687,500 copies in the UK.[37]