D̲e̲f̲t̲ones - A̲r̲o̲und t̲h̲e F̲u̲r (Full Album)

Around the Fur is the second studio album by the American alternative metal band Deftones, released on October 28, 1997, by Maverick Records. The songs "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" were released as singles with accompanying music videos. The album was certified gold by the RIAA in 1999, and was later certified platinum in 2011.Show more

Background
Around the Fur has been described as alternative metal,[1][2][3] nu metal,[4][5] and post-hardcore.[6] The guitarist Stephen Carpenter has since reflected, "We didn't really pay much attention to that. I remember when these subgenre names didn't exist. It was just metal. So I don't think we made a decision to step away [from nu metal] – we've never paid attention to what anyone else was doing. We just did what we thought was right, and tried to make a killer album."[7] The producer Terry Date stated that the band wanted to become "more sophisticated" with Around the Fur.[7] Lyrically, much of the album addresses topics such as juvenile perception, existential angst, sex, romance, violence, the death of loved ones, and break-ups.[8]

The band had gathered inspiration off of their own internal issues and personal incidents, as the four of them rented an apartment in Southern Seattle whilst they were writing and recording the album.[9] The singer Chino Moreno and Carpenter recall the band often drank and partied frequently, even recalling random moments of writing where the bassist Chi Cheng and Carpenter would smoke marijuana frequently together and write riffs together; the two later included their voicemail of them smoking out of a bong as a hidden track between "MX" and "Damone".[10]

It was the second album to feature Frank Delgado under additional personnel; he eventually joined the band officially in 1999. The song "Headup" featured additional vocals by Max Cavalera of Soulfly.

The album cover was shot by the photographer Rick Kosick during a late-night party in Seattle where the band was recording. Upon seeing the candid photo of a woman, the band decided that they wanted to use it as the album cover. Kosick was unsure who the woman was, so the band had to find and track her down to obtain permission to use the photo, which she eventually granted.[11] The woman appearing on the cover is Lisa M. Hughes, a friend of Stephen Carpenter.[12] Hughes spoke publicly about the cover for the first time during the album's 20th anniversary in 2017.[13][14] Moreno has since expressed his dislike of the cover, calling it "horrible".[15]

Composition and lyrics

"Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" (1997)
Duration: 31 seconds.0:31
Sample of "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)", the second single from Around the Fur (1997). This shows the album's cleaner production and a tendency toward more melody in the music.[16]
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In a 1998 interview with Chart magazine, Moreno commented, "When we went in to make this record, we really didn't have a set idea of what we wanted to come out with." However, he felt that the album "fell into place" once the band had settled into the studio.[16] The band expanded its sound, spending more time with the producer Terry Date, and giving more thought to the album's production. Abe Cunningham varied his drum sound and experimented by using different types of snare drums on almost every track.[17] The album was praised for its loud-soft dynamics, the flow of the tracks, Moreno's unusual vocals, and the strong rhythm section grooves created by Cunningham and Cheng.[16][18][19]

Release
The album was highly anticipated, and propelled the band to fame in the alternative metal scene on the strength of radio and MTV airplay for the singles "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)".[20] The album's title track was also released as a promotional single. Around the Fur sold 43,000 copies in its first week of release, and entered the Billboard 200 at No. 29 (its peak position), remaining on the chart for 17 weeks.[19][21] Around the Fur went on to reach RIAA gold status on June 24, 1999, and platinum status on June 7, 2011.[22]

When the album was released on Spotify, it contained an alternate version of "Headup" running a full minute longer than the original release.[2

Track listing

All tracks are written by Deftones, except "Headup", written by Deftones and Max Cavalera

No. Title Length
1. "My Own Summer (Shove It)" 3:35
2. "Lhabia" 4:11
3. "Mascara" 3:45
4. "Around the Fur" 3:31
5. "Rickets" 2:42
6. "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" 5:08
7. "Lotion" 3:57
8. "Dai the Flu" 4:36
9. "Headup" (featuring Max Cavalera) 5:12
10. "MX"
"MX"
"Bong Hit"
"Damone"
37:19*
Total length: 73:56
Vinyl pressing
No. Title Length
10. "MX" 4:52
Total length: 41:29
Note

^* * "MX" itself ends at 4:52. On CD and digital editions of the album, it's followed by two hidden tracks, separated between 27 minutes and 21 seconds of silence; "Bong Hit" and "Damone". "Bong Hit" (19:32–19:55) begins, following 14 minutes and 40 seconds of silence. After an additional 12 minutes and 41 seconds of silence, "Damone" (32:36–37:19) ends the album. On vinyl editions of the album, neither of the hidden tracks on are featured, and the album ends after "MX".
Personnel
Adapted credits from the liner notes of Around the Fur.[44]

Deftones

Chino Moreno – lead vocals
Stephen Carpenter – guitar
Chi Cheng – bass, backing vocals
Abe Cunningham – drums
Additional personnel

Frank Delgado – turntables on "My Own Summer (Shove It)", "Around the Fur", "Dai the Flu", "Headup" and "MX"
Max Cavalera – additional vocals and guitar on "Headup"
Annalynn Cunningham – additional vocals on "MX"
Production

Terry Date – production, mixing, recording
Ulrich Wild – mixing, recording, digital editing
Matt Bayles – assistant to Terry Date
Steve Durkee – assistant to Ulrich Wild
Ted Jensen – mastering
Rick Kosick – photography
Kevin Reagan – art direction, design