Conspiracy No. 5 is the second major-label studio album by American Christian rock band Third Day, released on August 26, 1997, by Reunion Records and Silverstone Records. It was produced by Sam Taylor, who encouraged the band to experiment with different musical styles. The album's name came from the band's interest in conspiracy theories, and a dictionary definition defining "conspiracy" as people gathering together to accomplish a common goal.
As opposed to the band's first album, which drew comparisons to Hootie & the Blowfish – comparisons which Third Day considered unfair – Conspiracy No. 5 adopts a more aggressive alternative rock style, with "grunge-style" guitars. The lyrics are less straightforwardly religious, but focus on the sinful nature of humanity and the need for redemption. Conspiracy received highly favorable reviews from music critics, who regarded it as an improvement over the band's debut record; the record's production, along with the guitar work and lead singer Mac Powell's vocals, were commonly praised, with some critics regarding it as one of the year's best Christian rock albums. It won the award for Rock Album of the Year at the 29th GMA Dove Awards, and was nominated for Best Rock Gospel Album at the 40th Grammy Awards.
In its first week of release, Conspiracy No. 5 sold 23,000 copies, debuting at number fifty on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Billboard Christian Albums chart. Eight singles from the album were released to Christian radio, and all of them reached the top five on The CCM Update charts. However, the album was not as commercially successful as the band's debut album; some fans of Third Day were disappointed in their shift towards alternative rock, and the band would return to a southern rock sound on their next album Time (1999). As of July 2007, Conspiracy No, 5 has sold over 305,000 copies, and it is Third Day's lowest-selling studio album as of 2016.
Background and recording Conspiracy No. 5 represented a departure from Third Day's self-titled debut album (1995), which had first been published as a demo before being released by independent label Gray Dot, and then re-recorded for Reunion Records. By the time the Reunion release had come out, many of the songs were three to four years old, and didn't reflect how the band had developed since. Third Day had also been frustrated by media comparisons to Hootie & the Blowfish. The band felt these comparisons were unfair, as their material had come out first. Third Day also wanted to more closely emulate their live performances. Lead vocalist Mac Powell said that "with Conspiracy No. 5, we were just trying to prove that we could rock. We were trying to prove that we weren't Hootie and the Blowfish". In an interview, drummer David Carr said that the band felt obligated to explore different sounds because "we serve a creative God", while Powell said that "we don't want to be the same band we were a year or two ago. We don't want to become stagnant".
Lee said that Conspiracy No. 5 was "our foray into the '90s alternative rock kind of sound". The band felt that it was more representative of their current musical style than their debut album had been, and that the more aggressive mixing on Conspiracy No. 5 was closer to their live performances. In recording the album, Third Day chose to work with producer Sam Taylor, had previously worked on albums for King's X and Galactic Cowboys. According to 7ball, Taylor was responsible for much's of the album's sound, and prodded band members to attempt unusual sounds. Powell recounted an incident where Taylor began messing with Brad Avery's guitar in the middle of recording to create a specific sound. The band said Taylor brought an intellectual approach to Conspiracy No. 5, which they appreciated; Avery said that Taylor "challenged us to know exactly why we were doing everything we were doing". Taylor encouraged the band to record most of the background vocals themselves and to experiment with alternative methods of ending songs while avoiding the use of fade-outs. Third Day felt that the result was more of a "group effort" than their debut album, with greater involvement from all members of the band. Prior to release, the band anticipated that reception among fans might be "half and half" between those who wanted an album closer to their first one, and those open to a different sound. Lee expected fans who had seen them live "wouldn't be surprised", but those who had only listened to their first album would think it was a "pretty big jump".
According to Third Day, the album's unusual name was inspired by their experience watching the movie JFK on their tour bus. The band was introduced to the film by Brian Whitman, the guitarist for fellow touring band All Star United. After watching the film, Third Day took a broader interest in conspiracy theories, and decided to visually theme their next album around the idea. The album art and notes on Conspiracy No. 5 include imagery from the assassination of John F. Kennedy, along with other historical incidents associated with conspiracy theories. The Conspiracy No. 5 name itself came from a dictionary the band had access to; the fifth definition listed related to a group of people gathering together to accomplish a common goal. The band felt this meaning, along with the idea of digging beneath the surface to find the truth, also had a "spiritual parallel".
Composition
In comparison to the band's first album, Conspiracy No. 5 is characterized as being more musically aggressive and lyrically mature, with a musical style more in line with alternative rock and grunge. The album has been described as having a "fresh" and "electric" feel, featuring "guitars layered between fuzzy psychedelia, hard-edged riffs and acoustic jangle". Conspiracy No. 5 was also characterized as featuring "metal-driven aggression... rife with chunky percussions and electric guitars". The guitar work on the album is "grunge-style" as well as "turbulent", "brooding", and "snarling". A handful of songs feature backing female vocals or string instruments. Unlike on their first album, where Powell performed all vocals, all members of Third Day provided backing vocals on Conspiracy No. 5.
The album's lyrical focus is the fundamentally sinful nature of humanity and the need for redemption. However, compared to their first record, Conspiracy uses less explicitly religious terms and themes. Powell described the lyrics as "deeper" but more "vague", and hoped listeners to "see beneath the surface". In an interview with 7ball, Anderson said the songs on the album were Christian songs, even ones that don't specifically mention Jesus, because it's "not accurate to separate our passions and our personal lives from our relationship with God".
The opening track, "Peace", opens with a brief "mellow" acoustic segment intended to emulate Jars of Clay, before the full band enters in an attempt to "blow out your speakers". Lyrically, the song is about the grace of God. "You Make Me Mad" focuses on the impact that music can have and its ability to inspire strong emotions. Avery said the song's message is aimed at both listeners and artists. "How's Your Head" was written for Powell's wife, and relates to the band's feelings of loneliness while touring away from their families. "Alien", a hard rock song, is lyrically based on Psalm 146; Powell says that "I am just like the alien, the fatherless, and the widow" and asks for protection from God. "Who I Am" utilizes both "gentle" acoustic guitar as well as power chords.
"I Deserve?" features backing vocals from Riki Michele of Adam Again. "Gomer's Theme" is based on the life of Gomer, the wife of the minor prophet Hosea.O'Brien, p. 392–393. In the Book of Hosea, he is commanded by God to marry Gomer, despite her infidelity, as a sign of Israel's unfaithfulness towards God.O'Brien, p. 32. The song is written from the perspective of Hosea and God, who criticize Gomer for her infidelity. Both "I Deserve?" and "Gomer's Theme" open with acoustic guitar before building to incorporate the entire band. "My Hope Is You" draws lyrically from Psalm 25. "Have Mercy" is a southern rock song, described as "gospel-tinged". It features backing vocals from Alfreda Gerald, who also performed on the band's first album, and relates how God offers mercy to sinners. "Your Love Endures" is led by acoustic guitar, and has been described as the album's only real ballad. Conspiracy No. 5 closes with a hidden track, a reprise of "Who I Am".
Release and promotion Reunion Records, Third Day's record label aimed to market Conspiracy No 5 to both Christian and mainstream audiences. Working with Zomba's label Silverstone, Reunion hoped to capitalize on Third Day's single "Northing At All", which had hit the top 30 on rock radio the previous year. Janet McQuenney, Silverstone's director of artist development, pointed to the success of Third Eye Blind and Tonic as creating an opening for the band. Previously, Silverstone had successfully promoted Jars of Clay to a mainstream audience. Reunion planned to release the album simultaneously to mainstream and Christian markets, with the lead single "Alien" marketed to Christian radio and "You Make Me Mad" marketed to mainstream radio. A CD single for "Alien" was released on June 8, 1997, featuring an exclusive bonus track as well as a rock remix of "Nothing at All".
Conspiracy No. 5 was released on August 26, 1997. It sold over 23,000 copies in its first week, and debuted and peaked at number 50 on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Billboard Christian Albums chart. It spent two weeks at the number two spot and 24 weeks on the Christian Albums chart in total, and ranked as the 28th-best selling Christian album of 1997.
Eight singles were released from Conspiracy No. 5. The lead single "Alien" peaked at number one on the CCM Update Christian Rock chart in August 1997. "Who I Am" peaked at number one on the CCM Update CHR chart in October 1997, and "You Make Me Mad" reached number one on the Rock chart in December 1997. "My Hope Is You", reached number two on the CHR chart in February 1998. "Have Mercy" peaked at number two on the Rock chart in March 1998,The CCM Update (March 23, 1998). 12 (12) while "This Song Was Meant For You" peaked at number five on the CHR chart in June 1998.The CCM Update (June 22, 1998). 12 (25) "Peace" hit number one on the Rock chart in October 1998,The CCM Update (October 12, 1998). 12 (41) while the final single, "How's Your Head", charted on both the CHR and Rock charts, reaching numbers 23 and 5, respectively.The CCM Update (March 29, 1999). 13 (12)
Critical reception and accolades
Conspiracy No. 5 received positive reviews from music critics; Minnesota Star Tribune writer Susan Hogan-Albach said the album received "rave reviews". Tony Cummings of Cross Rhythms said "the general consensus around UCB radio is that [the album]... is probably the best Christian rock album of 1997". In the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (2003), Mark Allan Powell noted that critics "universally recognized" the album as superior to its predecessor.Powell, p. 943.