Backstreet Boys (U.S.)

Backstreet Boys is the debut U.S. studio album by the vocal-pop group Backstreet Boys. The release of this album coincided with the release of their second international album Backstreet’s Back. Their international debut album released in 1996 was also titled Backstreet Boys, but it was not released in the United States. This second self-titled album was released only in the United States in 1997, making it their debut album in the country. It became one of the most successful debut albums of all time. The album 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. This was also reported as the second highest seller in the past 14 years for Music Club sales back in 2003, selling 1.72 million units.

There were two editions of this album available. The original pressing contained 11 songs and did not include “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”. Presumably, this may have been due to the title of the song, which correlates with the title of the international album, Backstreet’s Back. The title would not necessarily make sense in the context of this album being their American debut. The decision to make it a single in the US contributed to a re-release of the album in 1998, which contained 12 tracks, this time including an extended version of the song. There are also several differences between the songs from the international debut album: the second verse of “Quit Playing Games” was re-recorded to feature Nick Carter, replacing Brian Littrell’s verse from the original version; “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” was only featured in an extended mix, and a demo version of “As Long as You Love Me”, using different instrumentation, arrangement and mixing, was included in place of the final version. The demo version was released as a single in the US and the final version was released in the 1998 pressing of the album and on The Hits – Chapter One.

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.