http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.42624&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rssWhen they hit the New York scene at the turn of the millennium, the scruffy, hip, Seventies-inflected Strokes seemed to embody the very nature of downtown cool despite the fact that most of the band had grown up uptown. The son of modeling agent John Casablancas, Julian Casablancas was sent at 14 to Le Rosey, a Swiss boarding school, where he began playing music with another scion of the well-known, Albert Hammond Jr. (whose namesake father had a number of early-Seventies hits such as "It Never Rains in Southern California"). Casablancas had already played in Manhattan, his hometown, with guitarist Nick Valensi and drummer Fabrizio Moretti; he'd also been a friend of future bassist Nikolai Fraiture. When Hammond moved to New York (he'd enrolled at NYU), he hooked up with Casablancas and the three others and started playing bars in the borough's Lower East Side in 1999. Ryan Gentles, the booker for small New York club the Mercury Lounge, quit his job to become the group's manager. <br><br> With a sound that evoked the flat rumble of late-Seventies New York rock but whose chewy tunes were rooted in the new wave candy of the Cars, the Strokes' appeal was immediate; they became the most popular club band in New York and when they issued their first EP, <I>The Modern Age</I> (2001), they became a press-fueled sensation in England, where their debut album, <I>Is This It</I> (Number 33, 2001), was released before America got it, with a slightly different album cover and track listing ("New York City Cops" &#8212; "they ain't too smart," Casablancas yowled &#8212; was deemed potentially offensive in the wake of 9/11 and was replaced by "When It Started"). Tight, lean, smart and almost subliminally catchy, <i>It</i> became one of the most acclaimed albums of its era, finishing second in the <I>Village Voice</I>'s annual critics poll and setting a number of younger bands off in emulating their wiry sound. <br><br> The Strokes were lumped into the 2001-02 "rock is back" brigade &#8212; were often said to lead it, in fact &#8212; but they were such a sensation (in press terms, not in mass numbers) that they seemed stuck in a rut. Their second full-length album, 2003's <I>Room on Fire</I> (Number Four) offered a more polished version of the <I>Is This It</I> template. Originally the Strokes were going to make their follow-up with producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead), but instead went back to the debut's decksman, Gordon Raphael. It was around this time that Moretti's relationship with movie star Drew Barrymore came to light, earning the band extra, if not quite welcome, press. In 2005, Casablancas married the band's assistant manager; the following year, Valensi wed photographer Amanda de Cadenet. <br><br> For <I>First Impressions of Earth</I> (Number Four, 2006), they expanded their sonic palette, at times almost willfully, casting some doubt as to their direction. Later in 2006, Hammond Jr. released his debut, <I>Yours to Keep</I>, in the U.K.; it saw U.S. issue a year later and his second solo album, <i> &#191;C&#243;mo Te Llama?</i> was released in July 2008, shortly after Casablancas' single with Pharrell and Santogold promoting Converse dropped. In June 2008, a message on the Strokes' official Website announced the band would get back to making new music together in early 2009. Post-Punken720Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:08:09 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.42624&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss When they hit the New York scene at the turn of the millennium, the scruffy, hip, Seventies-inflected Strokes seemed to embody the very nature of downtown cool despite the fact that most of the band had grown up uptown. The son of modeling agent John Casablancas, Julian Casablancas was sent at 14 to Le Rosey, a Swiss boarding school, where he began playing music with another scion of the well-known, Albert Hammond Jr. (whose namesake father had a number of early-Seventies hits such as "It Never Rains in Southern California"). Casablancas had already played in Manhattan, his hometown, with guitarist Nick Valensi and drummer Fabrizio Moretti; he'd also been a friend of future bassist Nikolai Fraiture. When Hammond moved to New York (he'd enrolled at NYU), he hooked up with Casablancas and the three others and started playing bars in the borough's Lower East Side in 1999. Ryan Gentles, the booker for small New York club the Mercury Lounge, quit his job to become the group's manager. <br><br> With a sound that evoked the flat rumble of late-Seventies New York rock but whose chewy tunes were rooted in the new wave candy of the Cars, the Strokes' appeal was immediate; they became the most popular club band in New York and when they issued their first EP, <I>The Modern Age</I> (2001), they became a press-fueled sensation in England, where their debut album, <I>Is This It</I> (Number 33, 2001), was released before America got it, with a slightly different album cover and track listing ("New York City Cops" &#8212; "they ain't too smart," Casablancas yowled &#8212; was deemed potentially offensive in the wake of 9/11 and was replaced by "When It Started"). Tight, lean, smart and almost subliminally catchy, <i>It</i> became one of the most acclaimed albums of its era, finishing second in the <I>Village Voice</I>'s annual critics poll and setting a number of younger bands off in emulating their wiry sound. <br><br> The Strokes were lumped into the 2001-02 "rock is back" brigade &#8212; were often said to lead it, in fact &#8212; but they were such a sensation (in press terms, not in mass numbers) that they seemed stuck in a rut. Their second full-length album, 2003's <I>Room on Fire</I> (Number Four) offered a more polished version of the <I>Is This It</I> template. Originally the Strokes were going to make their follow-up with producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead), but instead went back to the debut's decksman, Gordon Raphael. It was around this time that Moretti's relationship with movie star Drew Barrymore came to light, earning the band extra, if not quite welcome, press. In 2005, Casablancas married the band's assistant manager; the following year, Valensi wed photographer Amanda de Cadenet. <br><br> For <I>First Impressions of Earth</I> (Number Four, 2006), they expanded their sonic palette, at times almost willfully, casting some doubt as to their direction. Later in 2006, Hammond Jr. released his debut, <I>Yours to Keep</I>, in the U.K.; it saw U.S. issue a year later and his second solo album, <i> &#191;C&#243;mo Te Llama?</i> was released in July 2008, shortly after Casablancas' single with Pharrell and Santogold promoting Converse dropped. In June 2008, a message on the Strokes' official Website announced the band would get back to making new music together in early 2009. http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.11738705&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 3 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.11738705 alb.11738705 The Strokes art.42624 1.99 You Only Live Once/Mercy Mercy Me alb.11738705 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/4/9/3/1/1851394_170x170.jpg 2006-10-03 00:00:00.0 2006-10-03 00:00:00.0 true false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.11738705&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.11738705&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.27868086&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 4 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.27868086 alb.27868086 The Strokes art.42624 0.0 You Only Live Once alb.27868086 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/6/6/8/7/1637866_170x170.jpg 2006-07-04 00:00:00.0 null false false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.27868086&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.27868086&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.8951383&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 3 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0800 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.8951383 alb.8951383 The Strokes art.42624 8.99 First Impressions Of Earth alb.8951383 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/7/9/4/4/1274497_170x170.jpg 2006-01-03 00:00:00.0 2006-01-03 00:00:00.0 true true main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.8951383&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.8951383&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.27868264&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 11 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.27868264 alb.27868264 The Strokes art.42624 0.0 Juicebox alb.27868264 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/4/4/0/8/1638044_170x170.jpg 2005-10-11 00:00:00.0 null false false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.27868264&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.27868264&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.7669808&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 11 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.7669808 alb.7669808 The Strokes art.42624 0.99 Juicebox alb.7669808 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/4/6/4/7/1267464_170x170.jpg 2005-10-11 00:00:00.0 2005-10-11 00:00:00.0 true false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.7669808&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.7669808&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5142078&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Mon, 23 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0800 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.5142078 alb.5142078 The Strokes art.42624 0.0 Modern Girls & Old Fashioned Men alb.5142078 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/5/6/6/5/1265665_170x170.jpg 2004-02-23 00:00:00.0 2004-02-23 00:00:00.0 true false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5142078&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5142078&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.297269&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 4 Nov 2003 00:00:00 -0800 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.297269 alb.297269 The Strokes art.42624 0.0 12:51/The Way It Is alb.297269 2003-11-04 00:00:00.0 2003-11-04 00:00:00.0 false false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.297269&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.297269&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.290610&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 28 Oct 2003 00:00:00 -0800 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.290610 alb.290610 The Strokes art.42624 8.99 Room On Fire alb.290610 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/9/8/1/2/1262189_170x170.jpg 2003-10-28 00:00:00.0 2003-10-21 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.290610&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.290610&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.298601&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Sun, 14 Dec 2003 00:00:00 -0800 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.298601 alb.298601 The Strokes art.42624 0.0 New York City Cops (live From Iceland) alb.298601 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/4/6/6/5/1265664_170x170.jpg 2003-12-14 00:00:00.0 2003-10-14 00:00:00.0 true false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.298601&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.298601&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.292266&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 14 Oct 2003 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.292266 alb.292266 The Strokes art.42624 0.0 12:51 alb.292266 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/1/9/4/4/1274491_170x170.jpg 2003-10-14 00:00:00.0 2003-10-13 00:00:00.0 true false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.292266&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.292266&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.292144&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Sun, 14 Dec 2003 00:00:00 -0800 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.292144 alb.292144 The Strokes art.42624 0.99 Is This It? (Home Recording) alb.292144 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/2/2/6/6/1376622_170x170.jpg 2003-12-14 00:00:00.0 2003-10-09 00:00:00.0 true false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.292144&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.292144&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.284796&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 29 Apr 2003 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.284796 alb.284796 The Strokes art.42624 0.0 Last Nite [US CD-5] alb.284796 2003-04-29 00:00:00.0 2003-04-29 00:00:00.0 false false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.284796&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.284796&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.127855&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 29 Apr 2003 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.127855 alb.127855 The Strokes art.42624 0.0 Someday [US CD-5] alb.127855 2003-04-29 00:00:00.0 2003-04-29 00:00:00.0 false false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.127855&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.127855&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.275121&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 1 Oct 2002 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.275121 alb.275121 The Strokes art.42624 0.0 Is This It [Bonus DVD] alb.275121 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/7/2/7/7/557727_170x170.jpg 2002-10-01 00:00:00.0 2002-10-01 00:00:00.0 false false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.275121&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.275121&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5294677&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 11 Jun 2002 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.5294677 alb.5294677 The Strokes art.42624 0.0 Maximum Strokes alb.5294677 2002-06-11 00:00:00.0 2002-06-11 00:00:00.0 false false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5294677&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.5294677&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.6709025&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 13 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.6709025 alb.6709025 The Strokes art.42624 9.99 Maximum Strokes alb.6709025 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/6/8/6/7/1347686_170x170.jpg 2004-04-13 00:00:00.0 2002-05-14 00:00:00.0 true false other http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.6709025&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.6709025&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.194932&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 30 Apr 2002 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.194932 alb.194932 The Strokes art.42624 0.0 Hard to Explain/NYC Cops/Take It or Leave It/Trying Your Luck alb.194932 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/7/9/9/8/1818997_170x170.jpg 2002-04-30 00:00:00.0 2002-04-30 00:00:00.0 true false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.194932&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.194932&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.160961&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 9 Oct 2001 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.160961 alb.160961 The Strokes art.42624 8.99 Is This It alb.160961 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/3/8/1/2/1262183_170x170.jpg 2001-10-09 00:00:00.0 2001-09-25 00:00:00.0 true false main-release 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art.42624 0.99 Soma (live In Iceland) alb.298602 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/8/9/5/6/1376598_170x170.jpg 2003-12-14 00:00:00.0 2001-08-27 00:00:00.0 true false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.298602&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.298602&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.259697&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss Post-Punk Tue, 22 May 2001 00:00:00 -0700 The Strokes Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.259697 alb.259697 The Strokes art.42624 0.0 The Modern Age [US CD] alb.259697 2001-05-22 00:00:00.0 2001-05-22 00:00:00.0 false false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.259697&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.259697&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-strokes%2Fdiscography.rss