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Trilogy (The Weeknd album)

Trilogy is the first compilation album and major label debut by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was released on November 13, 2012, through XO and Republic Records. It is composed of remixed and remastered versions of the songs contained in his 2011 mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, and three previously unreleased songs, "Twenty Eight", "Valerie", and "Till Dawn (Here Comes the Sun)" were included as bonus tracks.

Trilogy
Compilation album by
the Weeknd
ReleasedNovember 13, 2012 (2012-11-13)
Studio
  • Dream House
  • Site Sound
  • Sterling Road (Toronto)
GenreAlternative R&B[1]
Length159:35
Label
Producer
The Weeknd chronology
Echoes of Silence
(2011) 		Trilogy
(2012) 		Kiss Land
(2013)
Singles from Trilogy
  1. "Wicked Games"
    Released: October 22, 2012
  2. "Twenty Eight"
    Released: November 13, 2012
  3. "The Zone"
    Released: November 16, 2012

Trilogy received generally positive reviews from critics, who reinforced the previous acclaim of the mixtapes, although some found it indulgent. It was promoted with three singles and the Weeknd's concert tour during September to November 2012. The album charted at number five in Canada and number four in the United States.

Background

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In 2011, the Weeknd released a series of mixtapes—House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence—and garnered both critical acclaim and a growing fan base.[2][3] The mixtapes were principally recorded with producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo,[4] at Dream House and Site Sound Studios in Toronto; additional sessions took place at Sterling Road Studios.[5] The Weeknd released the mixtapes online as free digital downloads.[2]

In September 2012, the Weeknd signed with Republic Records in a joint venture with his own imprint label XO.[6] The mixtapes were subsequently remastered and compiled for Trilogy, along with three previously unreleased songs, "Twenty Eight", "Valerie", and "Till Dawn (Here Comes the Sun)",[3] which were recorded at Liberty Studios in Toronto.[5] The three songs were included as bonus tracks at the end of each of the compilation's discs.[7]

To re-release the mixtapes' music for retail, the Weeknd had to obtain clearance from the recording artists he had originally sampled for certain songs, including Beach House's "Master of None" for "The Party & The After Party" and Siouxsie and the Banshees's "Happy House" on "House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls"; the sample of Aaliyah's "Rock the Boat" on "What You Need" was excluded from Trilogy.[6]

On November 13, 2022, the Weeknd announced that he is considering removing Trilogy from streaming services due to both the original samples finally being cleared and him not being a fan of the updated mixes, telling fans to instead listen to the three mixtapes individually.[8]

Promotion

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The Weeknd toured in support of Trilogy during September to November 2012.[6] He previewed the album at a listening party in New York City on October 24. It was his first major media event.[9]

Singles

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The album's lead single "Wicked Games" was released on October 22, 2012.[10] with the video for its remastered version released four days prior, on October 18, 2012.[11] The song charted at number 43 on the Canadian Hot 100,[12] it reached number 53 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[13][14]

The second single, "Twenty Eight" was released on November 13.[15] Its music video was released on February 13, 2013, directed by Nabil Elderkin.[16]

"The Zone" was released as the album's third and final single three days later, its video shot in January 2012, and released on November 13, 2012.[17]

Other songs

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A video accompanying the track "Rolling Stone" was released on October 3, 2012, to promote the album's release.[18] The Weeknd posted an open letter to his fans on his website, where he explained the meaning of the video.[19]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10[20]
Metacritic79/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [22]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[23]
Fact5/5[24]
The Guardian     [25]
The Irish Times     [26]
Mojo     [27]
The Observer     [28]
Pitchfork8.5/10[29]
Rolling Stone     [30]
Uncut8/10[31]

Trilogy was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 79, based on 19 reviews.[21] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.1 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[20]

John Calvert of Fact dubbed it "an r'n'b album with few equals in terms of narrational ambition".[24] Oliver Keens of Time Out wrote that the Weeknd "communicates" his character "so engagingly on Trilogy" and found him "riveting when he juxtaposes debauchery with a delivery that finds him numb and on the verge of tears".[32] Killian Fox of The Observer felt that the mixtapes' "production sounded great to start with" and that the "new material is unexceptional", but ultimately stated, "if you didn't pick up the mixtapes when they were going free, and can handle 160 minutes of beautifully crafted nihilism, this is an essential buy".[28] Although he found the new songs "arbitrary in terms of sequencing", Pitchfork's Ian Cohen cited the compilation as "some of the best music of the young decade; judging by its already pervasive influence, it's safe to say Trilogy (or at least House of Balloons) will be one of those records that will be viewed as a turning point when we look at the 2010s as a whole".[29]

In a mixed review, AllMusic's Andy Kellman felt that, despite moments when he is "distinctively gripping", the Weeknd lacks "restraint, as he is prone to repetitious whining that is more young boy than young Keith Sweat". Kellman wrote that "now that he's with a label, he'll hopefully get some kind of filter that enables him to fulfill the promise heard in these 160 minutes of one-dimensional, occasionally exhilarating overindulgence ... His potential is as obvious as his lyrics are toxic".[22] Kevin Ritchie of Now found the music "impressive", but found the "lyrical ambivalence" to be "a bit one-note" by the album's second hour.[33] Although he found its "excess oppressive" when listened to in its entirety, Drowned in Sound's Robert Leedlum deemed Trilogy to be "untouchable" as a "comprehensive document of a specific moment in time".[34] Paul MacInnes of The Guardian wrote that its three discs "offer a rough trajectory of party, after-party and hangover, through which an assertive voice gives way to one that sounds more troubled", and concluded, "Trilogy does remove some of the Weeknd's mystique – lyrical formulae become apparent, and examples of engaging melody recede as the collection advances. Whatever its limits, however, Trilogy remains a striking piece of work".[25]

Commercial performance

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Trilogy charted at number five on the Canadian Albums Chart.[35] In the United States, it debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 86,000 copies.[36] By August 2015, the release has sold 558,000 copies in the United States.[37] On March 18, 2019, Trilogy was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[38] On June 10, 2022, the album was certified triple platinum by Music Canada.[39]

Track listing

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Disc one: House of Balloons
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."High for This"
Dream Machine4:07
2."What You Need"
  • Tesfaye
  • Jeremy Rose
3:16
3."House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls"
6:47
4."The Morning"
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
5:15
5."Wicked Games"
  • Tesfaye
  • Rainer Millar Blancheur
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
5:24
6."The Party & the After Party"
  • Rose
  • The Weeknd
  • Rainer
7:39
7."Coming Down"
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
4:55
8."Loft Music"
  • Tesfaye
  • Rose
  • Legrand[c]
  • Scally[c]
  • Rose
  • The Weeknd
6:04
9."The Knowing"
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
5:41
10."Twenty Eight" (bonus track)
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
4:18
Total length:53:26
Disc two: Thursday
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Lonely Star"
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
5:49
2."Life of the Party"
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
4:57
3."Thursday"
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
5:19
4."The Zone" (featuring Drake)
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
6:58
5."The Birds, Pt. 1"
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
3:34
6."The Birds, Pt. 2"
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
5:50
7."Gone"
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
8:07
8."Rolling Stone"
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
3:50
9."Heaven or Las Vegas"
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
5:53
10."Valerie" (bonus track)
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
4:46
Total length:55:03
Disc three: Echoes of Silence
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."D.D."Michael JacksonIllangelo4:35
2."Montreal"
Illangelo4:10
3."Outside"
Illangelo4:20
4."XO / The Host"
  • Tesfaye
  • Montagnese
Illangelo7:23
5."Initiation"
  • DropxLife
  • Illangelo
4:20
6."Same Old Song" (featuring Juicy J)
  • Tesfaye
  • Montagnese
Illangelo5:12
7."The Fall"
5:45
8."Next"
  • Tesfaye
  • Montagnese
Illangelo6:00
9."Echoes of Silence"
  • Tesfaye
  • Montagnese
Illangelo4:02
10."Till Dawn (Here Comes the Sun)" (bonus track)
  • Tesfaye
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
  • McKinney
  • Illangelo
5:19
Total length:51:06
iTunes Store bonus music video
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."The Zone" (featuring Drake) (closed-captioned)
  • Tesfaye
  • Graham
  • McKinney
  • Montagnese
5:16

Sample credits

Personnel

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Credits for Trilogy adapted from liner notes.[5]

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Trilogy
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[60] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[39] 3× Platinum 240,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[61] Platinum 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[38] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates and formats for Trilogy
Region Date Label(s) Format(s) Edition Ref.
Australia November 9, 2012 Republic CD Standard [63]
Germany [64]
United Kingdom November 12, 2012
  • Digital Distribution Turkey
  • Island
[65][66]
Canada November 13, 2012
[67][68]
United States Republic [69]
March 26, 2013
  • XO
  • Republic
 LP [70]
November 27, 2017 5-year anniversary [71]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Martins, Chris (September 12, 2012). "The Weeknd's PBR&B Archive 'Trilogy' Gets Official Release". Spin. New York. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Wood, Mikael (November 7, 2012). "First listen: The Weeknd's deceptively lovely new songs". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "The Weeknd – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 17, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  4. ^ Gill, Andy (November 10, 2012). "Album: The Weeknd, Trilogy (Universal Republic)". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Trilogy (CD liner). The Weeknd. Republic Records. 2012. 19793-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ a b c Hampp, Andrew (November 12, 2012). "The Weeknd & Reps Talk Clearing Samples, Touring For 'Trilogy' Release". Billboard. New York. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  7. ^ Aspray, Benjamin (November 19, 2012). "The Weeknd: Trilogy". PopMatters. Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  8. ^ Geraghty, Hollie (November 14, 2022). "The Weeknd considers removing 'Trilogy' from streaming services". NME. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  9. ^ Krishnamurthy, Sowmya (October 25, 2012). "The Weeknd Previews Three-Disc Trilogy". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
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