All Rise (Blue album)

All Rise is the debut studio album by English boy band Blue, released on 26 November 2001 in the United Kingdom and on 27 April 2004 in the United States. It peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and was certified 4× Platinum in the UK.[1] The album spent 63 weeks on the UK top 75 Albums chart.[2]

All Rise
Studio album by Blue
Released	26 November 2001
Recorded	2000–2001; London, England and Oslo, Norway
Genre	Pop R&B
Label	Virgin, Innocent
Blue chronology
All Rise (2001) One Love (2002)
Singles from All Rise
"All Rise" Released: 21 May 2001 "Too Close" Released: 27 August 2001 "If You Come Back" Released: 12 November 2001 "Fly By" Released: 18 March 2002 "Best in Me" Released: 18 August 2002

Background and release

In May 1999, Lee Ryan and Antony Costa met at the ages of 15 and 17, respectively, when auditioning for a boy band on ITV's This Morning, with Simon Cowell putting the group together.[3] Ryan made it into the band, as did 21-year-old Will Young (who would go on to win the first series of Pop Idol in 2002), although Costa was not chosen.[3] The boy band never took off, but Ryan and Costa remained friends following their meeting. In 2000, Costa and another one of his friends, Duncan James, decided to form their own band, and they were soon joined by Ryan. Their manager Daniel Glatman said, "Duncan came to see me with his friend, Antony Costa, who was also in the same position [wanted to be in the music industry], and they told me that they wanted to do something together. When I asked them if they had anyone in mind to work with, they said they had a friend, Lee Ryan, whom they wanted to invite to join their band. The three of them came in a couple of days later and I was completely blown away by the incredibly talented stars that stood before me."[4] Ryan, Costa, James and Glatman all felt that something was missing and so they went on to audition for a fourth member, a position eventually filled by Ryan's flatmate, Simon Webbe.[4][5]

Blue started recording for their debut album following their new line-up. They released their debut single "All Rise" in May 2001 and it reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. Their follow-up single "Too Close" was released in August 2001 and peaked at number one. Following this, the band went to New York City to film the "If You Come Back" music video, and while there, they witnessed the attacks on the World Trade Center. The following month, Blue were being interviewed by British newspaper The Sun and Ryan commented that "This New York thing is being blown out of proportion" and asked "What about whales? They are ignoring animals that are more important. Animals need saving and that's more important." The other members of the band tried to silence Ryan, but he went on. This caused a huge media backlash that resulted in Blue losing a record deal in the United States and campaigns to sack Ryan from the group.[6] Despite the backlash, Blue went on to achieve a second number one in November with the ballad. The album All Rise was released in time for Christmas and reached number one, eventually selling in excess of 1.8 million copies in the UK. The final single from the album, "Fly by II", reached number six in March 2002.It peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart and was certified 4× Platinum in the UK.[1] The album spent 63 weeks on the UK top 75 Albums chart.[7]

Singles

• "All Rise" — The debut single, released in May 2001. The single peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 3 on the Australian Top 40, at No. 1 in New Zealand and No. 5 in Ireland. The song has received a Silver sales status certification for sales of over 200,000 copies in the UK.
• "Too Close" — The second single, released in August 2001. The song is a cover version of U.S. R&B group Next's number one hit. The single peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 5 on the Australian Top 40, No. 1 in New Zealand and No. 17 in Ireland. The song has received a Silver sales status certification for sales of over 200,000 copies in the UK.
• "If You Come Back" — The third single, released in November 2001. The single peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was produced by multi-platinum producer Ray Ruffin & co-written by Nicole Formescu, Ray Ruffin, Lee Brennan and Ian Hope. The song has received a Silver sales status certification for sales of over 200,000 copies in the UK.
• "Fly By II" — The fourth and final single, released in March 2002. The single peaked at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart, at No. 9 in New Zealand, No. 16 in Ireland, and No. 23 in Belgium. The song has received a Silver sales status certification for sales of over 200,000 copies in the UK.
• "Best in Me" — Released as a single exclusively in Australia, New Zealand and Philippines in August 2002. The single peaked at No. 10 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, becoming one of Blue's most successful singles in the region. A music video was recorded and was later used to promote the group's compilation album, Best of Blue.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
NME	[9]

The album received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Sharon Mawer of AllMusic gave the album three and half stars out of five and noted, "The vocals were sung as if there was some real feeling, and that maybe is what separated Blue from their peers."[8] Andre Paine of the NME gave the album five stars out of ten stating, when describing some of the tracks that "All of these are fine, but so as not to alienate a single teenage girl, there's also the traditional boyband slop; 'If You Come Back' ...the ballads and various Backstreet Boys rip-offs. But at least Stargate & Ray Ruffin know what they do. And Blue are young and talented enough to secure themselves a successful pop career."[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"All Rise"	Mikkel S. Eriksen, Hallgeir Rustan, Tor Erik Hermansen, Simon Webbe, Daniel Stephens	Stargate	3:43
2.	"Too Close"	Kier Gist, Darren Lighty, Robert Huggar, Raphael Brown, Robert Ford Jr., Denzil Miller, James B. Moore, Kurtis Walker, Larry Smith	Ray Ruffin, Cutfather & Joe^[a]	3:45
3.	"This Temptation"	Eliot Kennedy, Steve Richards, Webbe, Antony Costa, Duncan James, Lee Ryan	Steelworks, Dancin' Danny D^[a]	3:35
4.	"If You Come Back"	Ruffin, Nicole Formescu, Ian Hope, Lee Brennan	Ruffin, Pete Craigie^[a], Stevie Lange^[b]	3:27
5.	"Fly By"	Eriksen, Rustan, Hermansen, Webbe	Stargate	3:46
6.	"Bounce"	Eriksen, Rustan, Hermansen, Webbe	Stargate	3:54
7.	"Long Time"	Hope, Ruffin, Costa, Webbe	Ruffin	4:14
8.	"Make It Happen"	Jan Kask, Peter Mansson, Wayne Hector, Ali Tennant	Stargate, Kask^[a], Mansson^[a], Lange^[b]	3:14
9.	"Back to You"	Hope, Ruffin, Webbe, Costa, James, Ryan	Ruffin, Craigie^[a], Lange^[b]	3:04
10.	"Girl I'll Never Understand"	Tim Woodcock, Gary Barlow	Steelworks, Craigie^[a]	3:26
11.	"Back Some Day"	Woodcock, Mike Terry	Steelworks, Craigie^[a]	4:00
12.	"Best in Me"	Bill Padley, Jem Godfrey	Padley, Godfrey	3:12

Japanese special edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"All Rise" (Blacksmith R'n'B Club Rub)	Eriksen, Hermansen, Rustan, Webbe, Stephens	Stargate, Blacksmith*	4:24
14.	"If You Come Back" (Blacksmith R'n'B Smooth Rub)	Formescu, Brennan, Ruffin, Hope	Ray Ruffin, Pete Craigie*, Blacksmith*	3:41
15.	"If You Come Back" (The Playa's Mix)	Formescu, Brennan, Ruffin, Hope	Ray Ruffin, Pete Craigie*	3:57
16.	"Too Close" (Live from Rumba, Melbourne)	Gist, Lighty, Huggar, Brown, Ford Jr., Miller, Moore, Walker, Smith	Ray Ruffin, Cutfather & Joe*	5:02

Asian special edition bonus AVCD

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"All Rise" (Music video)			3:43
2.	"Too Close" (Music video)			3:45
3.	"If You Come Back" (Music video)			3:27
4.	"Fly By II" (Music video)			3:46
5.	"Best in Me" (Music video)			3:11
6.	"All Rise" (Acoustic)	Eriksen, Hermansen, Rustan, Webbe, Stephens	Stargate	3:43
7.	"Too Close" (Blacksmith R'n'B Club Rub)	Gist, Lighty, Huggar, Brown, Ford Jr., Miller, Moore, Walker, Smith	Ray Ruffin, Cutfather & Joe*, Blacksmith*	3:45
8.	"If You Come Back" (8 Jam Street Mix)	Formescu, Brennan, Ruffin, Hope	Ray Ruffin, Pete Craigie*	3:27
9.	"Fly By" (Stargate Trilogy Remix)	Eriksen, Hermansen, Rustan, Webbe	Stargate	3:46
10.	"This Temptation" (Blacksmith R'n'B Radio Rub)	Kennedy, Richards, Ryan, Costa, James, Webbe	Steelworks, Dancin' Danny D*, Blacksmith*	3:35
11.	"Love R.I.P."	Padley, Godfrey	Padley, Godfrey	3:39
12.	"Megamix"	John Riley	John Riley	6:56

Deluxe edition bonus disc

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Sweet Thing"	SUPA'FLYAS, Damon Sharpe, Lindy Robbins, Ali Tennant, Simon Webbe	SUPA'FLYAS	3:36
2.	"Made for Loving You"	Gary Barlow, Eliot Kennedy, Tim Woodcock	Steelworks, Pete Craigie*	3:25
3.	"All Rise" (Acoustic)	Eriksen, Hermansen, Rustan, Webbe, Stephens	Stargate	3:43
4.	"Too Close" (Blacksmith R'n'B Club Rub)	Gist, Lighty, Huggar, Brown, Ford Jr., Miller, Moore, Walker, Smith	Ray Ruffin, Cutfather & Joe*, Blacksmith*	3:45
5.	"If You Come Back" (8 Jam Street Mix)	Formescu, Brennan, Ruffin, Hope	Ray Ruffin, Pete Craigie*	3:27

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies an additional vocal producer

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2001–02) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 31 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11] 4 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[12] 9 Europe (European Top 100 Albums)[13] 8 French Albums (SNEP)[14] 147 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 68 Irish Albums (IRMA)[16] 5 Japanese Albums (Oricon) 218 Malaysian Albums (IFPI)[17] 5 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[18] 2 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19] 28 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[20] 30 Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] 6 Turkish Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) 27 UK Albums (OCC)[22] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2001) Peak position Irish Albums (IRMA)[16] 3 UK Albums (OCC) 16 Chart (2002) Peak position UK Albums (OCC)[23] 26 Decade-end charts Chart (2000–09) Peak position UK Albums (OCC) 91

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[24]	Gold	35,000^^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[25]	Gold	25,000^^
Ireland (IRMA)[26]	3× Platinum	45,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[27]	2× Platinum	30,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[28]	4× Platinum	1,200,000^^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[29]	Platinum	1,000,000^*
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. 25 October 2002. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
2. officialcharts.com
3. Rigler, Natasha (3 October 2013). "Blue's Lee Ryan auditioned for Simon Cowell aged 15 – throwback picture". Reveal. Nat Mags. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
4. Glatman, Daniel (7 June 2002). "Interview with DANIEL GLATMAN, manager for Blue (2 million debut album sales)". HitQuarters. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
5. Webbe, Simon (20 January 2014). "Blue's Simon Webbe: To this day I still owe Lee Ryan my life and I will support him forever". Metro. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
6. Adam White (18 April 2017). "'I'm a bordering genius': the wit and wisdom of Blue pop star turned EastEnders actor Lee Ryan". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
7. Blue - All Rise Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
8. Mawer, Sharon. All Rise at AllMusic. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
9. Paine, Andre (22 December 2001). "- Blue : All Rise - Album Reviews - NME.COM". NME. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
10. "Australiancharts.com – Blue – All Rise". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
11. "Ultratop.be – Blue – All Rise" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
12. "Danishcharts.dk – Blue – All Rise". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
13. "Hits of the World - Eurochart Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 18 May 2002. p. 63. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
14. "Lescharts.com – Blue – All Rise". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Blue – All Rise" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
16. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 2, 2002". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
17. "Hits of the World - Eurochart Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 23 November 2002. p. 43. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
18. "Charts.nz – Blue – All Rise". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
19. "Norwegiancharts.com – Blue – All Rise". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
20. "Portuguesecharts.com – Blue – All Rise". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
21. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100: 28 April 2002 - 04 May 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
22. "Blue | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
23. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 - 2002". Official Charts Company.
24. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
25. "Danish album certifications – Blue – All Rise". IFPI Denmark.
26. "The Irish Charts - 2002 Certification Awards - Multi Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association.
27. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart (27 October 2002)". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
28. "British album certifications – Blue – All Rise". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type All Rise in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
29. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2002". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.