Backstreet Boys is the reissue of the 1996 album of the same name, released by the vocal-pop group Backstreet Boys in the United States on August 12, 1997. Its initial release contains six tracks from their first studio album, Backstreet Boys (1996) and five tracks from their second studio album Backstreet's Back (1997). Released a day after Backstreet's Back, both albums share nearly the same cover but with different titles. The album served as their debut in the United States, where their previous records were not released.
The album became one of their most successful albums and received acclaim from music critics. It peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 albums chart and has been certified 14× platinum (diamond) by the RIAA for sales to retailers, having sold over 14 million copies to date in the United States. The album was reported as the second highest seller in the past fourteen years for Music Club sales as of 2003, selling 1.72 million units.
Background
Backstreet Boys released their first single, "We've Got It Goin' On", in September 1995. While the single was successful across Europe, it stalled in the United States, peaking at number 69. As a result, the original issue of their 1996 debut album was only released outside of the country. Throughout 1996, the group released three more singles internationally: "I'll Never Break Your Heart", "Get Down (You're the One for Me)", and "Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)". Jive Records planned to relaunch the group in the United States in 1997 with the new song "If You Want It to Be Good Girl (Get Yourself a Bad Boy)". The group instead pushed for a US single release of "Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)". To serve as their debut album in the United States, Jive decided to reissue the group's 1996 debut album with additional tracks from Backstreet's Back. For the single version of "Quit Playing Games", the second verse was re-recorded to feature Nick Carter, replacing Brian Littrell's verse from the original version. The single version of "As Long as You Love Me" uses different instrumentation, arrangement, and mixing.
The original pressing of the album had a maroon spine and blue background on the back inlay. The second pressing of the album had a teal spine and a straw-colored background on the back inlay. Both versions of the album contained the same enhanced section, containing videos and other multimedia files.
Marketing
To promote the album the group appeared on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, Saturday Night Live, MTV, The Ricki Lake Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Soul Train and All That. The group also appeared on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and a remix of "Hey, Mr. DJ (Keep Playin' This Song)" was included on the show's soundtrack.
Reception
Critical reception
The album received generally positive reviews. Steve Jones of USA Today rated it three stars out of four, commenting that the Backstreet Boys "are confident enough in their voices not to let them get lost in waves of harmonies."
Commercial performance
Backstreet Boys debuted at number 29 on the U.S. Billboard 200 the week of August 30, 1997, with 40,000 copies sold. On January 31, 1998, it peaked at number four on the chart; by this point the album had sold two million copies in the United States. The album was certified fourteen times platinum by the RIAA on April 5, 2001, denoting shipments of fourteen million. It had sold additional 1.72 million units at the BMG Music Club as of February 2003.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+Weekly chart performance for Backstreet Boys
! scope="col"| Chart (1997–1998)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+Year-end chart performance for Backstreet Boys
! scope="col"| Chart
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 1997
| 141
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 1998
| 4
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 2000
| 160
|}
Decade-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+Decade-end chart performance for Backstreet Boys
! scope="col"| Chart (1990–1999)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
!scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| style="text-align:center;"|10
|}
All-time charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style=text-align:center
|+All-time chart performance for Backstreet Boys
! scope="col"| Chart
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| style="text-align:center;"| 42
|}