It became a smash hit and put Gorillaz into the global spotlight. The band's first single, "Clint Eastwood", was released on March 5, 2001. Because of the nature of the site, an official fansite,, was created to hold the standard band website information, including news, a discography and the band's touring schedules. Each member also had his or her own computer which contained pictures, samples used in various Gorillaz songs, their favorite websites and their e-mail inboxes. Each room also had bonus surprises and games to play: for example, the lobby had a remix machine, the cafeteria contained the message board on the wall and Murdoc's Winnebago (accessible only by using the enhanced section of the Gorillaz album) contained a voodoo doll of 2D. Inside, you could browse through each member's bedroom, their recording environment and even the hallways and bathrooms. The band's official website,, was a virtual representation of Kong Studios, the band's fictional studio and home. Promo outlets circulated a promotional booklet to promote the fictional backstory behind the cartoon band. The Gorillaz were very well received in the UK underground music scene and generated a lot of word-of-mouth advertising, as well as a large shroud of mystery over who was behind Gorillaz and what could be expected from the band in the months to come. The trio of musicians behind Gorillaz' first incarnation included Damon Albarn, Del the Funky Homosapien and Dan the Automator. The band originally identified themselves as "Gorilla" and the first song they recorded was "Ghost Train" which was later released as a B-side on their single "Rock the House" and the B-side compilation G Sides. So we got this idea for a cartoon band, something that would be a comment on that," Hewlett has said. The idea to create Gorillaz came about when the two were watching MTV: "If you watch MTV for too long, it's a bit like hell – there's nothing of substance there. Albarn and Hewlett started sharing a flat on Westbourne Grove in London in 1997. The interview was published in Deadline magazine, home of Hewlett's comic series, Tank Girl. Phase One: Celebrity Take Down (1999-2003)ĭamon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett first met in 1990 when Graham Coxon, a fan of Hewlett's work, asked him to interview Blur, which was a band both Albarn and Coxon and had recently formed. Their second studio album, Demon Days, was released in 2005 and included the hit singles "Feel Good Inc.", "Dare", "Dirty Harry" and "El Mañana/Kids With Guns." Demon Days went Double Platinum in the U.S., Triple Platinum in the U.K., and earned 5 Grammy award nominations for 2005. The band's first album, 2001's Gorillaz, sold over 3 million copies and earned them an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the Most Successful Virtual Band. Unlike other fictional bands whose music has had real-life success, they are neither a parody of a particular genre (Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind) nor marketed to young children (The Archies), and their actual musical output is far more of an attraction to most of their fans than their existence as cartoon characters. Their style is reminiscent of 80's dance music with strong influences from hip-hop, dub, electro, and pop. Gorillaz performed Demon Days Live at a five night residency at the Manchester Opera House in November 2005.The band was created by Damon Albarn from the Britpop band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, the co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl. It peaked at number one on the British OCC and 6th on the Billboard 200 in America. The album was critically acclaimed and has sold more than 8 million copies. The album featured artists such as Shaun Ryder, Roots Manuva, Ike Turner, De La Soul and MF Doom amongst others. Production was by Gorillaz, Danger Mouse, James Dring and Jason Cox.
If you do it again, it’s no longer a gimmick, and if it works then we’ve proved a point. Because everyone thought it was a gimmick.
Let’s repeat the same process, but do it better. It is a loose concept album revolving around the theme of personal demons and demons facing human society, specifically related to humanity’s innate capability to destroy itself and its environment.įollowing the breakout success of their debut album, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett were excited at the prospect of a more cohesive follow-up. Demon Days is the second formal studio album (excluding G-Sides and Laika Come Home) released by Gorillaz.
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