The Fundamental Elements of Southtown is the third studio album and major label debut of Christian nu metal band P.O.D., released on August 24, 1999. It went on to become the band's first platinum album, peaking at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 chart in April 2000.[7] It was the 143rd best-selling album of 2000 in the United States.[8] "Southtown" and "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)" became the album's singles, both of which were accompanied by music videos. The album also includes a cover of U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky".
| The Fundamental Elements of Southtown | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 24, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | February – April 1999 | |||
| Studio | The Gallery, Sherman Oaks, California; Sparky Dark, Calabasas, California; Mates, North Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 57:43 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Howard Benson | |||
| P.O.D. chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Censored cover | ||||
| Singles from The Fundamental Elements of Southtown | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Cross Rhythms |  [2] |
| HM | [4] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [5] |
| Q | [6] |
Cover art
editThe cover art displayed on The Fundamental Elements of Southtown was censored when sold in Christian bookstores. Retailers complained about the depiction of a cigar and also argued that the artwork featured "pagan" imagery.[9][10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Greetings" | 1:29 |
| 2. | "Hollywood" (featuring Lisa Papineau) | 5:22 |
| 3. | "Southtown" | 4:08 |
| 4. | "Checkin' Levels" | 1:06 |
| 5. | "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)" | 3:24 |
| 6. | "Lie Down" | 5:09 |
| 7. | "Set Your Eyes to Zion" | 4:06 |
| 8. | "Lo Siento" | 0:33 |
| 9. | "Bullet the Blue Sky" (U2 cover) (featuring Lisa Papineau) | 5:18 |
| 10. | "Psalm 150" | 0:55 |
| 11. | "Image" | 3:32 |
| 12. | "Shouts" | 0:55 |
| 13. | "Tribal" | 4:26 |
| 14. | "Freestyle" | 3:57 |
| 15. | "Follow Me" | 3:43 |
| 16. | "Outkast" (ends at 4:16, hidden track "Tambura" begins at 6:22) | 9:33 |
| Total length: | 57:43 | |
Awards
edit2000 San Diego Music Awards
edit- Album of the Year
- Song of the Year - "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)"
2001 GMA Dove Awards
edit- Short Form Music Video of the Year - "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)"
Personnel
editCredits adapted from the album's liner notes.[11]
P.O.D.
- Sonny Sandoval – vocals
- Marcos Curiel – lead guitar
- Traa Daniels – bass
- Wuv Bernardo – drums, rhythm guitar
Additional musicians
- Lisa Papineau – background vocals (5, 9)
- DJ Circa – turntables
- Santos – percussion
- Howard Benson – keyboards
Production
- Robert Green Brooks – engineer, mixing
- Ernie Vigil – assistant engineer
- Marc Moncrief – assistant engineer
- Matt Silva – assistant engineer
- Howard Benson – mixing
- Chris Lord-Alge – mixing (2, 3, 5, 7, 9)
- Gavin Lurssen – mastering
Imagery
- Michael Robinson NYC – Art Direction + Design
- Jean Bastarache – paintings
- Chapman Baehler – band photos
- Eric Altenburger – band photo retouching
- David Allen – band logo
Charts
editCertifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Limited edition bonus EP
edit| Limited edition bonus EP | |
|---|---|
| EP by | |
| Released | August 24, 1999 |
| Length | 18:51 |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Producer | P.O.D. |
The Limited edition bonus EP was released by P.O.D. as a free CD given away with the purchase of their first mainstream album, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, in 1999. It contained a new version of the song "Draw the Line" (from the album Snuff the Punk) and the demo version of "Lie Down" (on The Fundamental Elements of Southtown). It also has the new track "It's About Time", the instrumental demo "Estrella", the intro "Warriors Come Out to Play...", and a track with "Messages for Your Answering Machine". Because of its limited release, it is now considered a collector's item.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Warriors Come Out to Play..." | 0:40 |
| 2. | "Draw the Line" (Fundamental Version) | 3:16 |
| 3. | "It's About Time" (Demo) | 4:13 |
| 4. | "Lie Down" (Demo) | 4:23 |
| 5. | "Estrella" (Demo) | 4:33 |
| 6. | "Messages for your Answering Machine" | 1:42 |
References
edit- ^ a b "The Fundamental Elements of Southtown - P.O.D." Allmusic.
- ^ a b "P.O.D. - The Fundamental Elements of Southtown". Cross Rhythms.
- ^ Hobsonpublished, Rich (March 4, 2022). "Vote for the greatest nu metal album of all-time". loudersound. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
- ^ Van Pelt, Doug (September–October 1999). "Album Reviews: P.O.D. the fundamental elements of southtown". HM (79). ISSN 1066-6923.
- ^ "P.O.D., 'The Fundamental Elements of Southtown' Review". Jesus Freak Hideout.
- ^ "POD - Fundamental Elements of Southtown CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- ^ "The Fundamental Elements of Southtown - P.O.D. : Awards". AllMusic. August 17, 1999. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ "Billboard 200 Albums - 2000 Year End Charts: 141 - 160 | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- ^ "Artwork Controversy". www.crossrhythms.co.uk. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ "Christian bands trickle into mainstream". DeseretNews.com. September 14, 2002. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ The Fundamental Elements of Southtown (liner notes). P.O.D. Atlantic. 1999. CD 83216.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Charts.nz – P.O.D. – The Fundamental Elements of Southtown". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ "P.O.D. Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ "American album certifications – P.O.D. – The Fundamental Elements of Southtown". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 11, 2024.