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| Length = | Label = Interscope | Producer = | Last album = ''Return of Saturn'' (2000) | This album = ''Rock Steady'' (2001) | Next album = ''The Singles 1992–2003'' (2003) | Misc = }} ''Rock Steady'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band No Doubt, released on December 11, 2001 by Interscope Records. The band began writing the album with initial recording sessions in Los Angeles and San Francisco, then traveled to London and Jamaica to work with various performers, songwriters, and producers. Sly & Robbie, The Neptunes, and William Orbit were among the many artists the band collaborated with on the album. As a result of these collaborations, ''Rock Steady'' touches on many musical styles, focusing on dub, synthpop, and dance styles more so than in the past. The band attempted to capture the vibe of Jamaican dancehall music, and experimented with writing songs without its standard instrumentation. Singer Gwen Stefani wrote her lyrics quickly in comparison to previous records, and dealt with topics ranging from partying to ruminations on her relationship with Gavin Rossdale. ''Rock Steady'' received mostly positive reviews from music critics, and it was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2003 Grammy Awards. The album was a commercial comeback for the band, surpassing sales of their previous offering, ''Return of Saturn'', released in 2000. ''Rock Steady'' spawned four singles, two of which won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked ''Rock Steady'' number 316 on its 2003 list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". ==Background and production== Every night on the tour to support their 2000 album ''Return of Saturn'', No Doubt threw after-show parties where people danced to Jamaican dancehall music. During a discussion over dinner in late 2000, the band members decided they wanted to explore dancehall-style rhythms for their next album. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Bounty Killer, Cutty Ranks, and Mr. Vegas, the band began work on the album in January 2001 by creating beats on Pro Tools at guitarist Tom Dumont's apartment. The group often tried recreating beats from other song files on the computer, which resulted in modified versions of the original rhythms.〔 They worked with producer Philip Steir at Toast Studios in San Francisco during this time, where the beginnings of "Hey Baby" emerged.〔Montoya, Paris and Lanham, Tom. ''The Singles 1992–2003'' (liner notes). Interscope Records. 2003.〕 When writing lyrics for previous albums, Stefani typically read works by Sylvia Plath that would make her depressed "or find different words that inspire me."〔 In contrast, for ''Rock Steady'' she wrote the lyrics quicker and on the spot to meet the goal of writing a song a day. Many of the demos recorded during these early sessions were used in the final tracks, rather than completely reworking the songs. The band saw this as a way to preserve the "initial spark" from when the songs were conceived.〔 The next month, Stefani left Los Angeles for London to visit boyfriend Gavin Rossdale, and the band traveled with her to finish recording "Detective".〔 There, they worked with Eurythmics member David A. Stewart and wrote the song "Underneath It All" in only ten minutes. In March, No Doubt traveled to Jamaica, staying at the Blue Lagoon in Port Antonio.〔 The band "spent most of the time swimming and getting sunburned and drinking and smoking and recording a little music", according to Dumont. The group would often have Red Stripe beers or rum and cokes with jerk food for breakfast;〔〔 on one occasion, Dumont passed out from heavy drinking while recording a track.〔 They began work in the mid-afternoon and worked into the night, with an after-party following the session.〔 The group collaborated with Sly & Robbie, who produced "Underneath It All" and "Hey Baby" and brought in dancehall toasters Lady Saw and Bounty Killer, and Steely & Clevie, who produced "Start the Fire". The band returned from Jamaica and resumed work in June 2001, collaborating with producers Nellee Hooper and Timbaland. The Timbaland track, titled "It's a Fight", and a Dr. Dre-produced song titled "Wicked Day" were excluded from the album because their hip hop sounds did not work well on the album. The band then worked with producer and former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek in late June.〔 Stefani commented that No Doubt worked with so many people for the record because none were available for the time needed to make an LP, but that she would have liked to work with Ocasek longer. The band and its A&R manager Mark Williams chose collaborators based on how well they thought the person would fit the personality of the song that No Doubt had written.〔 In late August, the band returned to London for Mark "Spike" Stent to polish off the songs with audio mixing.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rock Steady (album)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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