Exile on Mainstream

Exile on Mainstream is the first compilation album by American rock band Matchbox Twenty. The album was released in two parts: the first was an EP, featuring seven new songs that emerged from a 12-song recording session, produced by Steve Lillywhite. The other part consists of remastered versions of 11 of the band's biggest hits. Recording Matchbox Twenty had been on hiatus since 2005, when Adam Gaynor had left the band. In 2007, the remaining four group members reunited in Los Angeles to do a compilation album, and ended up recording seven new songs over the course of one session. For the first time, every member of the group worked on songwriting. All seven of the new songs on the album were credited to the members of Matchbox Twenty, a first for the group. Prior to this, the songs either were credited to Rob Thomas himself or co-written with various members of the band. Paul Doucette, originally the band's drummer, played rhythm guitar due to Adam Gaynor's departure. The album's title is a reference to the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St. Release The album was available for pre-order on September 4, 2007 from iTunes. The full album was released on VH1's "The Leak" one week before release. It leaked onto the Internet on September 28, 2007, four days ahead of the official release date. The album was released on October 2, 2007, exactly 11 years and one day since the release of the band's debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You. The album debuted on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart on October 8, 2007 at number-one with sales of 18,199 units. In the U.S., the album debuted at number-three on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 131,000 copies in its first week. The album was released in a USB wristband format as well as the 2-CD edition making Matchbox Twenty the first band to do so.