Unwritten Law (album)

Production

In June 1997, bassist John Bell had left Unwritten Law, just as the band was preparing to go to Seattle to record their next album, Pivit bassist Micah Alboa was then recruited to fill in on bass.

The band had arrived a few weeks early before recording was to begin at London Bridge Studio, which allowed them time to rehearse and tighten up the songs, as guitarist Rob Brewer had stated: It was really cool to be up there because we didn’t have any of the distractions of home. Once we got there it rained constantly, so all we did was practice 14 hours a day.

During that time, the band had formed a strong relationship with producer Rick Parashar, who was very enthusiastic about working with the band, as Brewer recalled:It was the right vibe, the right feeling. We know the guy is very credible, we’ve listened to his records and they all sounded really good.

Following the recording sessions, Pat "PK" Kim of Sprung Monkey joined Unwritten Law as their new permanent bass player. The album includes guest appearances by Brandon Boyd and Mike Einziger of Incubus on the hidden track "418". An outtake from these sessions, "Take Me Away" later appeared as a b-side on the Seein' Red single.

While the band was in the studio, they were dropped by Epic, and were signed by Interscope Records after Tom Whalley heard the album, as the band recalled:When we were in Seattle making the record, Epic Records decided to drop us while we were in the studio. They never even heard the new record. After that, we didn't know if we wanted to go back to an independent label or just try to find another major. Interscope Records came in right away and genuinely showed a love for the record. It made sense to go with them.

Track listing

"418

Appearances in Media

• "Harmonic" appeared on the 1998 skate/snowboard film, Decade.
• "Teenage Suicide" appeared in the 1998 thriller film Dead Man's Curve, and the 1998 surf film, The Show.
• "Cailin" appeared in the 1999 horror comedy film, Idle Hands, and the 2000 comedy-drama film, Coyote Ugly.
• "California Sky" appeared on the 2001 PlayStation video game, T.J. Lavin's Ultimate BMX.

Personnel

Band

• Scott Russo – lead vocals
• Steve Morris – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Rob Brewer – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Wade Youman – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Micah Albao – bass guitar
• Rick Parashar – piano, keyboards, tambura, percussion
• Geoff Turner – DJ
• Erik Aho – additional guitar on "Cailin"
• Brandon Boyd – spoken vocals and didgeridoo on "418"
• Mike Einziger – additional guitar on "418"
• Craig Yarnold – additional backing vocals on "Holiday"

Production

• Rick Parashar – producer, engineer, mixing
• Andy Wallace – mixing of "Sorry"
• Jon Plum – assistant producer, engineer, and mixing
• Geoff Ott – second engineer
• Kelly Gray – additional mixing on "Underground" and "418"
• Jon Mathias – engineer of "Holiday"
• George Marino – mastering

Artwork

• Lorna Turner – graphic design
• Craig Tomkinson and Dave Morris – photography

Charts

References

References

1. [{{AllMusic
2. "Unwritten Law: Charts & Awards".
3. "Video". [[Unwritten Law]].
4. "Unwritten Law - 'California Sky'". [[Universal Music Group]].
5. "Unwritten Law - 'Holiday'". [[Universal Music Group]].
6. "Unwritten Law - 'Lonesome'". [[Universal Music Group]].
7. "Unwritten Law Album & Song Chart History: Alternative Songs". [[Billboard charts]].
8. "News for July 1997...".
9. (August 29, 1997). "Unwritten Law looses bass player, gains new sound". [[North County Times]].
10. "UL News for December".
11. "UL News for February".
12. (January 3, 2005). "Unwritten Law".
13. "Unwritten Law Interview".
14. {{cite Ryan