It's Never Been Like That
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It's Never Been Like That is the third studio album by French band Phoenix, released on 15 May 2006 through Virgin Records and EMI internationally and Astralwerks in the United States. The album was preceded by the release of the singles "Long Distance Call" and "Consolation Prizes". The album was later re-released in Mexico as a tour edition with four bonus tracks recorded live in Oslo on 20 April 2006.
Commercial performance
As of 2013, sales in the United States have exceeded 92,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 72/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The A.V. Club | A |
| Entertainment Weekly | B |
| NME | 6/10 |
| The Observer | |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10 |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Slant Magazine | |
| Spin |
It's Never Been Like That was rated number 13 in Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums of 2006 and 38 in their Top Albums of the 2000s.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Phoenix.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Napoleon Says" | 3:13 |
| 2. | "Consolation Prizes" | 3:16 |
| 3. | "Rally" | 3:17 |
| 4. | "Long Distance Call" | 3:04 |
| 5. | "One Time Too Many" | 3:40 |
| 6. | "Lost and Found" | 2:56 |
| 7. | "Courtesy Laughs" | 3:14 |
| 8. | "North" | 5:01 |
| 9. | "Sometimes in the Fall" | 5:49 |
| 10. | "Second to None" | 3:25 |
| 11. | "Diet of the Heart" (iTunes bonus track) | 1:03 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Napoleon Says" (live) | 3:23 |
| 12. | "Rally" (live) | 3:18 |
| 13. | "Sometimes in the Fall" (live) | 6:07 |
| 14. | "Second to None" (live) | 6:29 |
Notes
- This edition of the album is referred to as the "New Edition". It was released in France and on tour in Mexico back in 2006, but is now being sold as a 2009 release in the US.
- The live tracks were recorded in Oslo Hackney, Hackney, England on 20 April 2006.
Charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 81 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) | 74 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 86 |
| Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 50 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) | 89 |
| French Albums (SNEP) | 34 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 41 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) | 118 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) | 14 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) | 18 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 66 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 108 |
| US Top Heatseeker Albums (Billboard) | 23 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 10 May 2006 | Toshiba-EMI | CD | TOCP-66575 |
| United Kingdom Europe | 15 May 2006 | Virgin/EMI | LP | SOURLP123 / 0946 3 55716 1 5 |
| CD | CDSOUR123 / 0946 3 60910 2 0 | |||
| United States | 23 May 2006 | Astralwerks | LP | ASW-55716 / 0946 3 55716 1 5 |
| CD | ASW-60911 / 0946 3 60911 2 9 | |||
| Canada | 13 June 2006 | Arts & Crafts | CD | AC018 |