(Thanks to Kaleid)
Franz Ferdinand is a British indie rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2001. Named after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the band comprises Alex Kapranos (lead vocals and guitar), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards and backing vocals), and Paul Thomson (drums, percussion and backing vocals).
The band first experienced chart success when their second single "Take Me Out" reached #3 in the UK Charts, followed by their debut album Franz Ferdinand which debuted on the UK album chart at #3.
The band went on to win the 2004 Mercury Music Prize and two BRIT Awards in 2005 for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act.
NME named Franz Ferdinand as their Album of the Year. From the album, three top-ten singles were released, "Take Me Out", "The Dark of the Matinée", "This Fire". Also, "Michael" peaked at #17.
Members:
Alex Kapranos
Nick McCarthy
Bob Hardy
Paul Thomson
Discography:2003 > Darts of Pleasure (EP)
Chart Position: #44 (UK)
2004 > Franz Ferdinand
Chart Position: #3 (UK), #2 (IRL), #32 (US), #26 (FRA), #16 (GER), #26 (AUT), #12 (AUS), #16 (SWE), #35 (SWI), #5 (NZ), #7 (BEL), #11 (NOR), #13 (FIN)
Singles: "Darts of Pleasure", "Take Me Out", "The Dark of the Matinée", "Michael, "This Fire"
Sales:
* United Kingdom: #3 (4x Platinum) (Sales: 1,200,000)
* United States: #32 (Platinum) (Sales: 1,000,000)
* Germany: #16 (Gold) (Sales: 100,000)
* Canada: #? (Gold) (Sales: 50,000)
* New Zealand: #5 (Platinum) (Sales: 15,000)
2005 > You Could Have It So Much Better
Chart Positions: #1 (UK), #2 (IRL), #9 (US), #5 (FRA), #4 (SWI), #5 (AUS), #2 (GER), #8 (ITA),#8 (POR), #9 (NLD), #5 (AUT), #7 (NZ), #6 (SWE), #6 (FIN), #4 (BEL), #4 (NOR), #3 (WORLD)
Singles: "Do You Want To", "Walk Away", "The Fallen", "Eleanor Put Your Boots On"
You Could Have It So Much Better
Sales:
* United Kingdom: #1 (Platinum) (Sales: 300,000)
* United States: #8 (Gold) (Sales: 500,000)
* Germany: #2 (Gold) (Sales: 100,000)
* Canada: #3 (Gold) (Sales: 50,000)
Sam Mai 31, 2008 8:13 am