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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Black Market Music
by Placebo


9.5

based on 12 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 32 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

This is the third album from London glam-rockers Placebo. The U.S. release adds two bonus tracks: a new version of "Without You I'm Nothing" with David Bowie guesting on vocals, and a cover of Depeche Mode's "I Feel You."

LABEL:	Virgin / EMI / Hut
RELEASE DATE:	08 May 2001
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Alternative, Rock, Britpop

NOTES: This album was originally released on 9 October 2000 by Hut Recordings, and then picked up by Virgin for a U.S. release in May 2001 (with two extra tracks).

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Dot Music

This is an awesome album, almost certainly Placebo's pinnacle, although I'd love to be proved wrong.

All Music Guide

The album's consistency easily outmatches even the highest watermarks of either predecessor.

Sonicnet

While Placebo's latest, Black Market Music, doesn't have any single track as galvanizing as "Pure Morning," Molko, Swedish bassist Stefan Olsdal, and English drummer Steve Hewitt have again crafted a hip-hop-laced collection of hard-driving rock that effectively mixes clever wordplay with solid musicianship.

Alternative Press

Charging rock songs and austere balladry make this album resonate more than the morass of bad music currently plaguing us. [#155, p.80]

Magnet

This is a decidedly more rocking Placebo. [#50, p.102]

Wall of Sound

Though his voice and attitude crosses Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant's nasally histrionics with Gary Numan's clinical whelp, [Brian] Molko generally keeps his guitar playing tight and tough with Gothic overtones.

HOB.com

Placebo's indie-glam rock fusion still sounds on CD like a good idea, and little more.

Q Magazine

Black Market Music feels like a watershed, a merely good record after a great one, and that in itself is disappointing.

Rolling Stone

Black Market Music loses its sparkle and its melodic sense whenever it grows a conscience.

CDNow

Do all of these elements add up to an album that offers something more than the usual steady diet of carefully polished, capably executed, but ultimately unremarkable angst-ridden punk-pop? Answer -- probably not.

New Musical Express

Unfortunately, this is not only their weakest album, it's their most confused.

Pitchfork

I suppose that the backstreet Black Market Music will endear itself to gender-exploring teenagers who find the girl-on-girl action in Buffy the Vampire Slayer "fucking awesome."

The average user rating for this album is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 32 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

paul b gave it an8:
Great album, made me feel ok.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
I love Placebo!!!!!!!

Marco M gave it a9:
This album is a masterpiece; it has influenced my taste in music (MUSIC not men) in various ways. Simply genius.

melissa j gave it a10:
Looooove this band!!!

caz b gave it a10:
Black Market Music is a great album from Placebo.

Pierre B gave it a10:
Placebo rules and so does this album!

gaelle v gave it a 10:
I think It's the better but I love all of them.

Black Market Music by Placebo

Black Market Music
by Placebo