The Killers: The Definitive History of

The Killers are an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Formed in 2002, the group consists of Brandon Flowers (vocals, keyboards), Dave Keuning (guitar, vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass guitar, vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr., (percussion, drums).
Part of the post-punk revival movement, The Killers draw influence from music styles of the 1980s and 1990s. The group's debut album, Hot Fuss (2004) brought the band mainstream success. The Killers' second album, Sam's Town, was released in 2006, and the compilation album Sawdust containing B-sides, rarities, and new material, was released in 2007. The band's first two albums have sold in excess of 12 million copies worldwide combined. The band's most recent work is their third album, Day & Age, which has been produced by Stuart Price and is due to be released in late November 2008.
Contents[hide]
1 History
1.1 Hot Fuss (2003–2005)
1.2 Sam's Town (2005–2007)
1.3 Sawdust and Day & Age (2007–present)
2 Controversy
3 Discography
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
//

[edit] History
In 2001, Brandon Flowers was abandoned by his first band,[citation needed] a synthpop band known as Blush Response,[1] after he declined to move with the rest of them to Los Angeles, California.[citation needed] He then met David Keuning after responding to an ad that Keuning had placed in The Sun newspaper.[1] Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and Mark Stoermer were approached by Flowers and Keuning with an offer to join "The Killers", a name which comes from the bass drum of a fictional band in the music video for the New Order song "Crystal".[1]
Initially, The Killers played at large clubs in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the band's lineup stable and its repertoire of songs expanding, the band attracted the attention of a British representative for Warner Bros. Though the Warner Bros representative passed on the band, he took the demo back with him, showing it to a friend who worked at UK indie label Lizard King. The Killers signed that summer to the British label.[2]

[edit] Hot Fuss (2003–2005)
The Killers released their album Hot Fuss in June 2004 in the United Kingdom on London-based indie record label Lizard King Records, and in United States on Island Records.[3] Hot Fuss has been classified 4x Platinum by the BPI[4] and 3x Platinum by RIAA.[5] The band also had chart success with its singles "Mr. Brightside", which reached the Top 10 in the UK when released,[6] and "All These Things That I've Done".[7] However, their main mainstream success came when they scored a number three chart position with their re-release of "Somebody Told Me".[3]
The members of the band appeared as themselves in a 2004 episode of the teen television drama The O.C..[8] In July 2005, The Killers performed on the London stage of the Live 8 concert. They performed "All These Things That I've Done". To their surprise, Robbie Williams incorporated the song's refrain "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" into his own performance. Coldplay and U2 followed suit, and at their separate concerts played in Las Vegas, with The Killers in the crowd, they incorporated that famous line into the songs "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" and "Beautiful Day", respectively.[9]

[edit] Sam's Town (2005–2007)
The Killers' second album, Sam's Town, was released in October 2006 under Island Def Jam Music Group.[10] Brandon Flowers said that Sam's Town would be "one of the best albums of the past twenty years",[11] though the album received a mixed response from critics and fans.[12] The album sold over 700,000 copies worldwide in the first week of release, with a number two debut on the Billboard chart.[13] The record sold over a million copies by January 2007.[14] The album produced four singles in the United Kingdom and United States: "When You Were Young" released in September, "Bones" which was released in November, "Read My Mind" which was released in February, and "For Reasons Unknown" which was released in June.[15] The first single from Sam's Town, "When You Were Young", entered the chart on downloads alone at number five, and the following week on its official release went to number two on the UK Singles Chart.[16]
The Killers recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road on November 29, 2006.[17] They performed an almost totally unplugged set, which included a rendition of the Dire Straits hit "Romeo and Juliet". In February 2007, The Killers attended the BRIT Awards in the United Kingdom, where they performed "When You Were Young". The band won two awards - International Group & International Album.[18]

[edit] Sawdust and Day & Age (2007–present)
The band released a compilation album called Sawdust, containing B-sides, rarities, and some new material, in November 2007. Sawdust has been classified Gold by the BPI.[19] The album's first single "Tranquilize", a collaboration with Lou Reed, was released in October 2007.[19] The band released a cover version of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" on the American iTunes Store that same month.[20] The album also contains the songs "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", (a The First Edition cover), "Romeo and Juliet", (a Dire Straits cover), and a rare demo version of "Move Away" which Brandon Flowers later stated was a mistake on the part of the band's record label; the proper version the group intended to put on the album was previously available on the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack.[21] The Killers released a Christmas song called "Don't Shoot Me Santa" that December. The song, like "A Great Big Sled", benefits Bono's Product Red campaign to fight AIDS in Africa. The recording was not included on Sawdust.[22]
The Killers have been finishing work on a third album, which is scheduled to be released on November 24, 2008 in the UK and on November 25 elsewhere. Brandon Flowers confirmed the album's title as Day & Age in an interview with NME.[23] They have been working with Stuart Price who did the 'Thin White Duke' remix of 'Mr Brightside' and produced 'Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf' and 'Sweet Talk'. The first single from the album was "Human", released on September 22. The band are reportedly releasing a third Christmas single in 2008, entitled "Joseph, Better You Than Me". The single, due to be released in December, is a duet with Elton John and is not featured on Day & Age.[24] The Killers appeared on Saturday Night Live on October 4, 2008 where they performed two new songs, "Human" and "Spaceman".[citation needed] Brandon Flowers has described Day & Age as "Sam's Town from Mars".[citation needed] The music video of Human was released on iTunes on October 16.[citation needed]

[edit] Controversy
Since going platinum, the band (and principally Flowers) has incited a few rivalries—most notably with The Bravery and Fall Out Boy, who are both labelmates (Island Records). Flowers has said that these bands, especially The Bravery, are riding on the coattails of the success of The Killers.[25] Additionally, in an article of NME, Flowers claimed Fall Out Boy was hogging the A&R man both bands share, setting off Fall Out Boy's bassist Pete Wentz.[26] However, after Wentz made a couple of rants on his blog in September 2005, he offered a virtual cease-fire.[26] Flowers has since apologized to The Bravery, Fall Out Boy, and Panic at the Disco, saying "I'd like to take it all back - these people are just doing what they want to do, just like I am," and said that he was "not proud of" his occasional jealousy.[27]
In February 2006, The Killers' former manager, Braden Merrick, filed a lawsuit alleging breach of contract when he was fired in May 2005. Merrick's contract was to have run through 2007, and the two sides had been negotiating a settlement before the lawsuit was filed.[28] The Killers are currently fighting a lawsuit against ex-manager Braden Merrick under the California Labor Commissioner. Merrick is suing The Killers for $3 million for unpaid commissions. The band claims that Merrick booked employment without a license, and thus are seeking to void their management contract. Flowers was seen on camera outside the court with Keuning on TMZ.com in December 2007 saying, "Well, we like people to be honest."[29]

[edit] Discography
Main article: The Killers discography
Hot Fuss (2004)
Sam's Town (2006)
Sawdust (2007)
Day & Age (2008)

[edit] See also
The Killers awards and nominations

[edit] References
^ a b c Binelli, Mark (2005-06-16). "Hit Men". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ Sculley, Alan (2004-09-14). "And you can dance to it". Kansas City Star. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ a b "Let's-start-a-band ad in newspaper created Killers". The Seattle Times (2005-04-24). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ Nixon, Chris (2007-04-05). "Can Killers regain form at UCSD? Stay tuned". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
^ "Hot Issue Hits and Misses: The Killers and the Cooper Temple Clause". Rolling Stone (2006-10-08). Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
^ Loundras, Alexia (2004-06-25). "Rock & Pop: Shooting from the hip", The Independent.
^ Begbie, Scott (2006-10-31). "Top rockers add Granite City to UK tour schedule", Evening Express.
^ "'O.C.' Finale to Be a Family Affair". FOX News (2005-05-19). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ "Event Listings". Manchester Evening News Arena. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ Cohen, Jonathan (2006-07-25). "The Killers Debut 'Sam's Town' In New York". Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
^ "Monday News: Killers, Paul McCartney, Ben Kweller, Sufjan Stevens, Elton John, Broken Social Scene". Rolling Stone (2006-07-10). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ "New CD’s". The New York Times (2006-10-02). Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
^ Bracelin, Jason (2006-10-12). "Killers' second album strikes higher chode", Las Vegas Review-Journal.
^ "Best British band from America". The Age (2007-01-26). Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
^ Barrett, Neil (2006-10-13). "Killers rock new "Town"". Clemson Tigers. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
^ Sexton, Paul (2006-10-02). "Scissor Sisters Not Budging On U.K. Charts". Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
^ "EMI cues up feast of fresh albums", Music Week (2005-10-01).
^ Akbar, Arifa (2007-02-15). "Arctic Monkeys scoop two Brits but shun 'mainstream' show". The Independent. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ a b "Smoking Section: Fiona Apple, Kanye West, The Killers and Tom Petty". Rolling Stone (2007-09-06). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ "Killers’ Joy Division Cover Hits the Web, M.I.A. Helps Jailed Aussie Kids Rhyme, Jadakiss Free From Gun and Drug Charges". Rolling Stone (2007-10-04). Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
^ "Celine takes a chance". Toronto Star (2007-11-13). Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
^ "The Killers are abuzz with B-sided 'Sawdust'". USA Today. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ "News Ticker: The Killers, Jonas Brothers, “American Idol”". Rolling Stone (2008-08-05). Retrieved on 2008-08-05.
^ "Killers, Elton to release Christmas single". Digital Spy (2008-09-23). Retrieved on 2008-09-23.
^ "Lean Beef: The Killers Vs. The Bravery". MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ a b Montgomery, James (2005-10-07). "Fall Out Boy/ Killers Beef Gives Birth To A Song". MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ Lash, Jolie (2006-07-25). "Killers Bury Hatchet With Panic, Fall Out Boy". Pop Eater. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ "Former manager sues The Killers, alleging breach of contract". USA Today (2006-02-22). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ Hall, Sarah (2006-02-23). "The Killers Sued by Ex-Manager". E!. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.

[edit] External links
The Killers official band website
The Killers official site, from Island Records
The Killers official site (U.K.), from the Vertigo label
The Killers (band) at Discogs
[hide]
v • d • eThe Killers
Brandon Flowers • Dave Keuning • Mark Stoermer • Ronnie Vannucci Jr.
Albums
Hot Fuss • Sam's Town • Day & Age
Compilations
Sawdust
Singles
"Somebody Told Me" • "Mr. Brightside" • "All These Things That I've Done" • "Smile Like You Mean It" • "When You Were Young" • "Bones" • "A Great Big Sled" • "Read My Mind" • "For Reasons Unknown" • "Shadowplay" • "Tranquilize" • "Don't Shoot Me Santa" • "Human"
Related
Discography • Awards • Marrakesh Records (Lizard King Records) • Island Records • "Crystal"