Alex Turner credits Arctic Monkeys 'creative freedom' to Domino records

Laurence Bell praised for 2013 AM album

09:18 20th January 2014

Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner has credited Domino Records founder Laurence Bell for allowing the creative freedom that allowed the band succeed with AM.

The band originally signed to Domino in 2005 before their debut release, Whatever People Say I Am (2005), which went on to smash numerous records. They went on to release three more records before the deal came to an end: Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007), Humbug (2009) and Suck It and See (2011). For their 2013 release AM, the band decided to re-sign with Domino and ended up releasing the biggest selling album of Q3 last year.

"Sheffield primates put their success down to the creative freedom independent record label Domino allow them," Turner told the Daily Star. “Laurence Bell from Domino, who owns the company, was who came to sign us in the first place. He allowed us to try different things. It’s not a situation like you hear about with a label guy in the studio saying: ‘I was looking for this or that.”

Watch a video of Alex Turner's Best Bits below

In the same interview, Turner also said that it was hard to play some of the older songs in the Arctic Monkeys catalogue. "Sometimes it's tough to get through one of the old ones live. You know, you don't feel like that anymore. When you tell the same joke 600 times, you won't hear what it is any more," he said.

Meanwhile after missing out on the 2013 Mercury Prize, the Arctic Monkeys are nominated for a whopping 8 NME Awards in numerous categories. The ceremony will take place on February 26 after numerous gigs leading up to the event.

Below: 20 career defining moments of Alex Turner's career

1. Turner and his band Arctic Monkeys sign to Domino Records in 2005. Debut single 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' is released in October that year and goes straight to No.1.
2. Arctic Monkeys' debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, is released in 2006. It becomes the fastest-selling debut album in British history and to this day remains the fastest-selling album by a group in the UK, selling 363,735 copies in its first week. Turner's songwriting abilities and lyricism in particular are praised by many reviewers, with the NME calling him a "master of observation".
3. In 2006 the band's debut album wins the Mercury Music Prize and Album Of the Year at both the Q and NME Awards. They won Best British Breakthrough at the BRIT Awards and Best New Band, Best British Band and Best Track for 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' at the NME Awards.
4. Second album Favourite Worst Nightmare is released on April 23rd, 2007 and goes straight to No.1. It includes the singles, 'Brianstorm', 'Fluorescent Adolescent' and 'Teddy Picker'.
5. Arctic Monkeys headline the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival in June 2007. Despite their set being widely praised, Turner admits he doesn't feel like they nailed the performance. "I don't think we got (Glastonbury) quite right when we did it," he tells GQ at the time. Luckily, it wasn't to be their last crack at it...
6. In mid 2007, Turner starts dating TV presenter Alexa Chung, and the relationship brings on an even higher level of fame for Turner, with the pair regularly appearing in tabloids and gossip magazines before splitting in 2011. Humbug track 'The Fire and the Thud' is allegedly about Chung.
7. In December 2007 the Arctic Monkeys play Manchester Apollo, which is filmed for DVD 'Arctic Monkeys at the Apollo', and released in cinemas the following year.
8. In February 2008, Arctic Monkeys win Best British Group at the BRIT Awards and Best British Band, Best Track for 'Fluorescent Adolescent' and Best Music Video for 'Teddy Picker' at the NME Awards.
9. In April 2008, Turner releases an album with former Rascals frontman Miles Kane and James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco under the name The Last Shadow Puppets. The Age of the Understatement goes to No. 1 and is nominated for that year's Mercury Prize.
10. In October 2008, Turner makes his debut as a short story writer. Spoken word track 'A Choice of Three' appears on bandmate Matt Helders' Late Night Tales compilation.
11. Arctic Monkeys' third album, Humbug, is released on 19th August 2009 and like both its predecessors, goes straight to No.1. Though the singles don't do much in the way of climbing the charts, with 'Crying Lightning' being the biggest hit, reaching No. 12. However, critics continue to praise Turner's lyricism, with the Guardian calling his work on Humbug "dazzling".
12. Arctic Monkeys headline Reading & Leeds festivals for the first time in August 2009.
13. In August 2011, Turner releases his first solo work, writing and performing all six tracks on the soundtrack to Submarine, the critically acclaimed coming of age film directed by Richard Ayaode. Turner joined forces with James Ford again to make the record, which is almost completely acoustic.
14. Arctic Monkeys' fourth album Suck It and See is released in June 2011, and heads straight to No. 1, making the band the second in history to have four No. 1 albums in a row.
15. Arctic Monkeys play two large-scale hometown shows at the Don Valley Bowl in Sheffield on 10th & 11th June 2011. With support from Miles Kane, The Vaccines, Dead Sons and Anna Calvi.
16. The night before a show with The Last Shadow Puppets in October 2011, their instruments are stolen. Turner sings for 45 minutes acapella, receiving a standing ovation, and later describes it as his most memorable performance ever.
17. Arctic Monkeys play the London Olympics Opening Ceremony in 2012, where they cover The Beatles classic, 'Come Together' which is later released as a single and enters the Top 40. "You think, "Oh, where do you go after that?" Turner later said of the experience.
18. Turner appears on Queens of the Stone Age album …Like Clockwork in June 2013, lending his vocals to track 'If I Had A Tail', and co-writing 'Kalopsia'.
19. Arctic Monkeys headline Glastonbury for the second time in June 2013. Turner receives criticism for his Americanised accent, with some dubbing him "Sheffield's Elvis". Turner later claims it "wasn't intentional", adding the band's performance was one of the best gigs they've ever done.
20. Arctic Monkeys release their fifth album, AM, in September 2013. The record is a massive commercial and critical success, and becomes the fastest-selling record of the year in the UK, shifting 100,000 copies in three days. It's also nominated for the year's Mercury Prize.

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