Sam's Town

Background

The album takes its name from Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, a hotel and casino in Las Vegas, the band's hometown. It is also a local nickname for Las Vegas. Sam's Town was also a huge sign that was visible by band member Mark Stoermer through his room window when he was young.

Artwork

According to photographer Anton Corbijn, the band initially wanted a "chic, gypsy look", for the album, and that "out of those discussions [for the sleeve] came these elements of faded glory." The album's co-producer, Flood, is dressed as a Native American in the CD booklet. The artwork inside the album booklet is taken from a Downtown Las Vegas mural painted by Suzanne Hackett-Morgan, a local painter. The cover artwork of Sam's Town features model and singer Felice LaZae.

Production

The album is said to be influenced by the works of U2, Duran Duran, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Electric Light Orchestra, and Dire Straits, among others. In the October 2006 issue of Giant magazine, Flowers was quoted as saying that Sam's Town would be "one of the best albums in the past twenty years", and in Entertainment Weekly he remarked that it would be "the album that keeps rock & roll afloat."

Flowers later said of production techniques used on the record, "We didn't use too many vocal effects. On the first album, we used auto-tune, and I didn't even realize what was going on with these machines and the computer. I was adamant about not using it this time. You really hear what my voice sounds like, for the first time."

The Killers dropped a controversial song about murdered schoolgirl Jodi Jones from the album. Flowers wrote "Where Is She?" after watching a TV news report about the 14-year old's murder when on tour in Scotland."

Reception

Sam's Town debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, selling 315,000 copies in its first week. It became the band's second number-one album on the UK Albums Chart, selling 268,946 copies in its first week. The album has been certified platinum or multi-platinum in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Ireland. Sam's Town also produced multiple charting singles including the platinum chart-topping single "When You Were Young". As of April 2011, Sam's Town had sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide.

Despite being panned by Rolling Stone with a two-star rating, in December 2009 Sam's Town was voted by the magazine's readers as the most underrated album of the decade. Q magazine ranked it as the 11th best album of the decade.

Tour

Christian Hoard, with Rolling Stone magazine, gave The Killers' seminal concert at Madison Square Garden three-and-a-half stars, saying "The Vegas quartet's maligned new album, Sam's Town, might pack more unfortunate big-rock bombast than its new wave debut, Hot Fuss, but it shares a generous hook quotient and a Vegas-y talent for crowd-pleasing. Before a frothy crowd, the Killers proved they've become a tight live band."

Track listing

All songs produced by Flood, Alan Moulder and The Killers.