Up to Now
Encyclopedia
Up to Now is the first compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...

 by alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...

. The album features tracks spanning Snow Patrol's fifteen year music career, including tracks from The Reindeer Section
The Reindeer Section
The Reindeer Section are a Scottish indie rock supergroup formed in 2001 by Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, which released albums and gigged in 2001 and 2002. The Reindeer Section grouping was somewhat ad hoc, and so it is uncertain if more will be heard from them...

, a side-project/supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....

 involving musicians from all over Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. The album was released in early November 2009, primarily as a two-disc set and a three-disc digipak format containing one DVD of bonus material. A limited edition heavyweight box was also sold. Three new songs were released on the album. One of these was "Just Say Yes", the lead single taken from the compilation. The solo re-recording of "An Olive Grove Facing the Sea
An Olive Grove Facing the Sea
"An Olive Grove Facing the Sea " is a song from Snow Patrol's compilation album Up to Now. It was released digitally on 4 December 2009 in the United Kingdom as the second single taken from the album. The original version of the song was released in 2001 on Snow Patrol's second album When It's All...

" was released as the album's second single. In Netherlands, Belgium and Finland "Run
Run (Snow Patrol song)
"Run" is a cover of the Snow Patrol song by Leona Lewis on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 31 October 2007. She later released the song as a single from Spirit: The Deluxe Edition in November 2008. At the time, "Run" was the UK's fastest-selling digital only release ever, selling 69,244 copies in just...

" was re-released in a version called "Run (2010 Version)" in January 2010.

The release has been described by the band as a collection of the band's best loved songs, and not a greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...

, as the album also contains non-singles. It was received generally positively by music critics for not being a typical hits record. The album performed well commercially, reaching the top 5 in three countries and the top 40 in another. It also sold well on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...

, making the top 10 selling albums lists in various countries.

Background

The album marks the band's 15 year music career. It is a reminder to newer fans that the band had made two albums before Final Straw, and achieving any commercial success. In line with the 15 years they have been recording, the album features 2 CD's with 15 songs on each, with 3 brand new tracks. The band felt it was a good time for such a release as their newer material was heading towards new, unexplored musical styles.

To come up with a track list for the album, each member compiled one individually, initially coming up with almost the same song selections. According to guitarist Nathan Connolly
Nathan Connolly
Nathan Connolly is a Northern Irish musician, who is best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for alternative rock band Snow Patrol.-Early life:...

, the only differences in opinion on song selections among the band members arose on songs from the earliest albums. Forty songs were initially selected, but they realized it wouldn't be practically possible to include all of them. They were whittled down to thirty, some reluctantly. One of these was "Make This Go on Forever". Vocalist Gary Lightbody
Gary Lightbody
Gary Lightbody is an Northern Irish musician and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band Snow Patrol.- Early life :...

 explained that they did it as to evenly represent all their albums. The final chosen songs are from all five studio albums, past b-sides and rarities, apart from three new recordings. They also felt the song selection should draw all sorts of fans; those who've supported from the start and those who might be hearing about the band for the first time, which was the reason for comparatively less representation of songs from the early albums. Commenting on fans' arguments about leaving singles "How to Be Dead
How to Be Dead
"How to Be Dead" is a single by Snow Patrol from their album Final Straw. It was released in 2004, slightly remixed by Chris Lord-Alge from the album version.The song is slow-tempo, with lyrics detailing a conversation between a couple.-Track listings:...

" and "One Night is Not Enough
One Night Is Not Enough
"One Night is Not Enough" is the sixth single released by Scotland-based indie rock band Snow Patrol, and the second to come from their second album, When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up...

" off the album, Lightbody said that they couldn't please everyone. Drummer Jonny Quinn
Jonny Quinn
Jonathan Graham "Jonny" Quinn is a Northern Irish drummer, born in Bangor. He is best known as the drummer for alternative rock band Snow Patrol, and was previously a member of bands like The Mighty Fall, The New Brontes and Disraeli Gears. As drummer for Snow Patrol, he has played on all releases...

 remembers enjoying the selection process as he went back to listen their older songs he hadn't heard for long.

Their record label was originally going to call the album a Greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...

, however, the band contested that they hadn't had that many hits. They went on to suggest a Best of, before realizing it was along the same lines. Lightbody has made it clear that the album isn't a greatest hits record, and has expressed his dislike for such. According to him, the compilation is a way to leave the last 15 years behind, and looking forward to 15 years in the future. The album's title, Up to Now was specifically chosen to indicate the band has more to offer in the future, and that it wasn't a way of saying goodbye. The band believes that the album signifies a portrait of the band, who they are, "warts and all". Lightbody said it represents the band making a statement, explaining: "We've climbed a hill and now we're looking back and taking in the view for a bit. It's nice to show people that we didn't just arrive overnight". The artwork for the album was revealed on 25 September 2009.

Promotion

To promote the album, a competition exclusive for members on the Snow Patrol mailing list was held. Fans wishing to enter the competition had to sign up and answer a question. The competition closed on 9 October 2009 and its winner received a drum skin, signed by all members of the band, as well as a photograph proving its authenticity, taken on the band's North American Tour of September–October 2009. On 16 October 2009, a competition called the "Up to Now Pub Quiz" was launched on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

. Fans were required to create teams of five, and were posed with ten questions each week, related to the band's entire career. The team with the most correct answers at the end flew to London to see a Snow Patrol concert at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....

, with a certain part of travel cost paid. The team was allotted their own private box at the venue, and got to meet the band afterward. Along the same lines, a Swiss radio station 20 Minuten hosted a similar competition for listeners. They had a pair of tickets for the concert for the Royal Albert Hall concert of 24 November to give away. All flight and hotel accommodation costs were paid for by the radio station. The band also played an intimate, acoustic show at King's Head in Crouch End
Crouch End
Crouch End is an area of north London, in the London Borough of Haringey.- Location :Crouch End is in a valley between Harringay to the east, Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green to the north, Finsbury Park and Archway to the south and Highgate to the west...

, London on 4 November. Tickets for this show could only be obtained via two competitions, one organized on Play.com
Play.com
Play Ltd., trading as Play.com, is a Jersey-based online retailer of DVDs, CDs, books, gadgets, video games, DRM-free MP3 downloads, and other electronic products, as well as clothes and accessories. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rakuten Group....

 and the other on the band's official website. Both involved answering a simple question. On 8 November 2009, the band released a second application for the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...

. An online application was also made, where users could manually create their own snowflakes.

Singles

The lead single taken from the album was the new recording "Just Say Yes", released first in the United States on 23 October 2009 via Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

 and iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...

. It was physically released on CD on 30 October and 2 November in Ireland and the United Kingdom respectively. The single was a hit in the Netherlands, topping the Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...

 chart. The second single, "An Olive Grove Facing the Sea
An Olive Grove Facing the Sea
"An Olive Grove Facing the Sea " is a song from Snow Patrol's compilation album Up to Now. It was released digitally on 4 December 2009 in the United Kingdom as the second single taken from the album. The original version of the song was released in 2001 on Snow Patrol's second album When It's All...

" (2009 Version) was only released digitally on iTunes on 4 December 2009. It was also given away as a freebie for a day on the 1st day (26 December 2009) of iTunes' 12 Days of Christmas. In Belgium and The Netherlands the song "Run
Run (Snow Patrol song)
"Run" is a cover of the Snow Patrol song by Leona Lewis on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 31 October 2007. She later released the song as a single from Spirit: The Deluxe Edition in November 2008. At the time, "Run" was the UK's fastest-selling digital only release ever, selling 69,244 copies in just...

" was released on 25 January 2010 as the 2nd single of Up to Now. In The Netherlands the song was Alarmschijf on Radio538 in week 6 of 2010. The song entered the Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...

 on 26 Februari 2010 and moved up to the number one position on that chart. That makes it the 5th Snow Patrol song on that hit that chart and the first number one hit in The Netherlands. In Belgium, Wallonia, the song was on the Top 30 of the Ultratop 50
Ultratop 50
Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995...

, but in Flanders, Just say Yes peaked at number 6 in the Ultratop 50
Ultratop 50
Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995...

.

Release

The album was made available in three formats:
  • Standard – Two CDs featuring thirty tracks.
  • Digipak – Two CDs, and a DVD containing documentaries and live footage.
  • Box set – Limited edition heavyweight box, numbered and wrapped in cloth. Contains three CDs, three heavyweight LPs, two DVDs, a lithograph print by Bradley Quinn and an LP sized booklet.


The additional DVD in the digipak format contains the animated film for "The Lightning Strike
The Lightning Strike
"The Lightning Strike" is a song from alternative rock band Snow Patrol's fifth album A Hundred Million Suns, and appears as the last track on the album. The lyrics to the song were written by lead singer Gary Lightbody and the music was composed by Snow Patrol...

" and previously unseen live footage. The box-set went on pre-order on 11 September 2009 and was priced at £49.99. The first 100 sold boxes were individually numbered and signed by all band members. The DVDs have no region restrictions, and can be played in any part of the world. The album contained three new songs: "Just Say Yes", "Give Me Strength" and "Dark Roman Wine". Additionally, a solo rendition of "An Olive Grove Facing the Sea", performed by Gary Lightbody was also released through the album. Also featured is the cover of Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...

' "Crazy in Love", which became a hit in the hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...

 community. Lightbody felt it would be one of the most sought-after songs on the collection.

Lightbody is pleased with "Give Me Strength" and has named it [probably] his most favorite song by the band. The song is about everyone who's "been there", his love for his band mates, especially Jonny Quinn
Jonny Quinn
Jonathan Graham "Jonny" Quinn is a Northern Irish drummer, born in Bangor. He is best known as the drummer for alternative rock band Snow Patrol, and was previously a member of bands like The Mighty Fall, The New Brontes and Disraeli Gears. As drummer for Snow Patrol, he has played on all releases...

, whom he considers his big brother. He has said that it was "long overdue". The song is lyrically similar to "Weather to Fly" by Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...

. Lightbody is a huge fan of the band and is "head-over-heels in love" with them. He has credited the band for being the reason for "most of the things [he does]" and does not deny that he may have subconsciously based "Give Me Strength" on "Weather to Fly".

Reception

Critical reception towards Up to Now was "generally favorable" according to the review collecting site Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

, where it holds a score of 62. IndieLondon's Jack Foley gave it a 4.5/5 rating, and found it "classy". He praised it for not being a generic compilation album, noting the inclusion of the band's lesser known songs. He praised the band's willingness to tread unfamiliar territory (with "Just Say Yes") and found the synth a "nice touch". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

 reviewer Jon Dolan found the set "claustrophobic" and awarded it three stars out of five. Allmusic's Andrew Leahey gave the album a positive review, and also gave it three stars. He felt it indicated the band's growth over the years. He found the new song "Give Me Strength" as one of the best songs the band has written in years. The Border Mail
The Border Mail
The Border Mail is a daily newspaper published in Albury-Wodonga, Australia, serving the twin cities and the surrounding region.The first edition was printed on 24 October 1903 by editor Hamilton Mott and his brother Decimus...

 gave it 4 out of 5 and found the set "expansive". Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...

 called "An Olive Grove Facing the Sea" a classic and named it the song to be played to Snow Patrol detractors. Stuff.co.nz gave it 4 stars out of 5. Reviewer Kris Hall said that the album looked like a "shameless cash grab" at the first look, but turns out to be different. He noted that the diverse material meant that there was something for everyone. He also said wrote the live renditions of "Run" and "Chasing Cars" were not be missed. However, Scottish magazine The List in a negative review said that it was still a typical greatest hits album. In Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

's mixed review, Tom Breihan wrote that the album was too long and "overstuffed". The inclusion of "Crazy in Love" was praised in most reviews, and was seen as an indication of the band's lighter, fun side. However, in Pitchfork's review, it was called "limp" and "unfunny". Hot Press
Hot Press
Hot Press is a fortnightly music and political magazine based in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it had a circulation of 19,215 during 2007...

 Peter Murphy wrote he would have liked to see the duet "Some Surprise
Some Surprise
"Some Surprise" is a song which features on the charity album The Cake Sale released in 2006 by The Cake Sale. It is a duet between former Damien Rice collaborator Lisa Hannigan and Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody, written by Bell X1 frontman Paul Noonan. The song was performed live by the duo...

" included.

On national record charts, it peaked at #5 in the Netherlands and Ireland. In the UK, it peaked at #3. It also reached the top 40 in Switzerland, peaking at #36.

Supporting tour

The band "looked back" by playing a special tour, called the Reworked Tour. It saw the band play "reworked" versions of songs that spanned their full career, including songs from side-project The Reindeer Section
The Reindeer Section
The Reindeer Section are a Scottish indie rock supergroup formed in 2001 by Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, which released albums and gigged in 2001 and 2002. The Reindeer Section grouping was somewhat ad hoc, and so it is uncertain if more will be heard from them...

. The songs were reconstructed using strings, brass and choir. The band visited a south London studio to rehearse the reworked songs. Touring began in mid-November, and continued till early December. The band played without any support act. They took the stage twice between an interval, accompanied by 11 special musical guests, including Iain Archer
Iain Archer
Iain Denis Archer is a singer–songwriter from Bangor, Northern Ireland, who was once a secondary lyricist for the indie band Snow Patrol. Archer comes from a musical background and released several solo albums in the mid 90s on the small Scottish independent label Sticky Music...

, members of Belle & Sebastian
Belle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...

, Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub are an alternative rock band from Bellshill, Scotland. The band is composed of Norman Blake , Raymond McGinley , Gerard Love and Francis MacDonald , with songwriting duties shared equally among Blake, McGinley and Love...

 and Idlewild
Idlewild (band)
Idlewild are a Scottish rock band, formed in Edinburgh, in 1995, comprising Roddy Woomble , Rod Jones , Colin Newton , Allan Stewart and Gareth Russell...

.

Standard

Digipak

Including the two CDs, the digipak version contains an additional DVD.

Box set

Including the two CDs and DVD, the box set version contains an additional CD and DVD.

Charts

Chart (2009-2011) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

54
Austrian Albums Chart
Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...

62
Belgian Albums Chart
Ultratop 50
Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995...

 (Flanders)
8
Belgian Albums Chart
Ultratop 40
Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization...

 (Wallonia)
28
Danish Albums Chart
Tracklisten
Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl...

2
Dutch Albums Chart 5
European Albums Chart
European Top 100 Albums
The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100...

10
French Albums Chart 85
German Albums Chart
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

38
Greek Albums Chart
Greek Albums Chart
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of...

38
Irish Albums Chart
Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...

5
Mexican Albums Chart 79
Norwegian Albums Chart
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...

5
Portuguese Albums Chart
Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa
The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA ....

22
Swiss Albums Chart
Swiss Music Charts
The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...

36
UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

3
US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

182


Certifications

Release history

Country/Region Date Format
Worldwide 11 September 2009 Box set (Pre-order)
Netherlands 6 November 2009 Digital download, 2×CD, 2×CD/DVD
Ireland 2×CD, 2×CD/DVD
9 November 2009 Digital download
United States 10 November 2009 Digital download, 2×CD, 2×CD/DVD

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK