Billy Talent is the debut album of Canadian rock band Billy Talent, released in 2003. The band's previous album Watoosh! (1999) was released under their old name Pezz.
Commercial performance Billy Talent debuted at number 6 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 7,700 copies in its first week. The album was certified four-time platinum in Canada in January 2021. Between 1996 and 2016, Billy Talent was among the top 15 best-selling albums by Canadian bands in Canada and among the top 40 best-selling albums by Canadian artists overall in Canada.
Reception In 2005, Billy Talent was ranked number 453 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.
In 2014, music magazine Vice praised the album in a retrospective review, stating; "Primarily fueled by guitarist Ian D’Sa’s signature single note riffs and frontman Ben Kowalewicz’s absolutely abrasive vocal delivery, Billy Talent was a sweaty, erratic, radio-ready punk rock album with some serious balls."
Tenth anniversary In August 2013, Billy Talent announced a Canadian tour for fall of that year entitled "A Return to the Roots", in which they played their entire first self-titled album live to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Soon after the tour, the band announced a 10th anniversary reissue of the album. The reissue was released on November 26, 2013 through Warner Bros. Records; it features a bonus disc of rare demos and live recordings of the album's track list.
Track listing
Personnel Billy Talent Benjamin Kowalewicz – lead vocals Ian D'Sa – guitar, vocals, art direction, package design Jonathan Gallant – bass guitar, vocals Aaron Solowoniuk – drums
Additional personnel Gavin Brown – production Jacquire King – recording Paul Silvera – digital editing Sheldon Zaharko – assistant engineer, digital editing Chris Lord-Alge – mixing Kevin Armstrong – assistant mix engineer Tom Baker – mastering Lawrence Azerrad – art direction, package design Dustin Rabin – photographer Peter Van Hattem – additional photography
Chart positions Chart PositionUK Albums124
Certifications
References