Version is the second studio album by British producerMark Ronson, first released on 16 April 2007 through Allido and Columbia Records. It is an album of cover versions with a retro-inspired sound that Ronson considers to be reminiscent of Motown and Stax releases.[1] The album cost more than £870,000 to launch.[2]Version reached number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and has sold 105,584 copies as of January 2015.[3]
Critical response to the album was generally positive. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian claimed "He really hit commercial paydirt in the world of gobby, femme-fronted British pop, working on Lily Allen's Alright, Still and Amy Winehouse's Back To Black. Both appear on his second album, which, reasonably enough, sees Ronson largely abandoning rap. In its place comes the musical formula that served him so well on Winehouse's hit single Rehab - an affectionate pastiche of a 60s soul revue's brass-laden sound. As the album's title suggests, the formula is applied to cover versions of unlikely alt-rock tracks."[5] Priya Elan of NME with praise said "A collection of covers of modern classics, his choices are faultless and his sense of fun is very apparent...for its irresistible sense of fun, ‘Version’ shouldn't be ignored."[6] John Murphy of MusicOMH wrote "Version is destined to become one of the great party albums of the summer – just playing it once is guaranteed to cheer you up. There may be a few too many blaring brass sections at times, but Ronson’s superb productions skills means he just about gets away with it. One of the more intriguing albums of the year, watch out for Ronson’s star to rise even more over the next few months."[14]
Mike Gadd of Okayplayer commented "Loose, funky, and soaked in soul, Version is not only Mark Ronson's best release yet, it is perhaps the best release of the year. Devoid of amusing adaptations and with tongue-in-cheek remixes nowhere in sight, Version is hardly Ronson getting his Weird Al on, but it's not a stuffy and serious selection of songs, either. It's just one of the world's best DJs getting busy - wiping the dust off, mixing things up, and reintroducing us to some old (and new) favorites."[7] James Cobb of Stylus declared "on its own merits, Version is one of the most vibrant, invigorating works of pop music to pass by my ears in a while."[9]
Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone gave the album three-out-of-five stars, calling Version "an audacious set of similar left-field covers...turned into dance-soul tracks."[15]
Despite the praise, the album inspired a number of mixed reviews. Rich Hughes of Line of Best Fit gave it a 60% rating, saying that "whilst it was an admirable project and some of the results here are genuinely great, the misses just seem to dominate it."[11] Michelle Dhillon called the album "a conglomeration of obvious singles, littered with distinctly horrible numbers that are better ignored."[16]
In February 2008, Ronson received a BRIT Award for Best British Male Solo Artist over favourite Mika. He also performed a medley of 3 songs from the album, the most acclaimed being "Valerie" in which Amy Winehouse appeared. After the ceremony, Version soared from 22 to 4 in the UK Albums chart.
Version debuted at number 2 in the UK. Overall, the album has spent 45 weeks in the UK Top 75, with 10 weeks in the top 10. In December 2007, the album was certified triple platinum in the UK for sales of over 900,000 copies.[17]BBC Radio 1 listed the album as the 12th most successful of 2007 in the UK, outperforming the likes of Justin Timberlake, Foo Fighters, Nelly Furtado and Lily Allen.[citation needed]Version peaked at No. 129 on the Billboard 200. As of 2010, the album has sold 65,000 copies in United States.[18]
The album was supported by the success of single "Stop Me", which charted at number 2 in the UK, top 5 of the US Dance charts, and in the top 40 of Italy and Australia. Upon its release, the album managed to crack into the World Top 40, charting at 29. Ronson's next single, "Oh My God" with Lily Allen, became his second top 10 single, peaking at 8 in the UK. "Valerie", Ronson's third single, also peaked at number 2 in the British charts, kept out of the top spot by the Sugababes. It has spent a dozen weeks in the top 10 and has sold well over 300,000 copies. The song ended the year as the ninth biggest seller, behind number 1's "Bleeding Love", "Umbrella", "Grace Kelly" among others. "Valerie" also charted in the Switzerland and New Zealand charts and even managed to top the Dutch Top 40 for four consecutive weeks, keeping Leona Lewis from the top spot. Ronson released "Just", featuring Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet, as the fourth single in the United Kingdom. The song was quickly added to BBC Radio 1's "A-List".
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