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| The record was a success, spending several weeks in the Top Ten in most continental countries where it charted. In the U.K., the Backstreet Boys were named Best Newcomers of 1995 at the Smash Hits Awards thanks to their international single We've Got It Goin' On. After scoring a European hit with I'll Never Break Your Heart, the group released their debut album in Europe and Canada in late 1996; it was a success, spending several weeks in the Top Ten in most of the countries where it charted. Despite their popularity in Europe and Canada, We've Got It Goin' On stalled in the lower reaches of the U.S. charts in 1995; this may have been due to the fact that the American version of Backstreet Boys was not released until 1997. Combining their international singles with new tracks (which also formed the centerpiece of that year's European-only album Backstreet's Back), the Backstreet Boys finally began their rise to U.S. success, scoring hits with the singles Quit Playin' Games (With My Heart) and As Long As You Love Me (the former of which went platinum). |
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| The album continued to spin off into 1999, with Everybody (Backstreet's Back), I'll Never Break Your Heart, and All I Have To Give all landing on the charts; both the former and the latter were platinum Top Five hits, and the album ended up with sales of over 13 million copies. In the meantime, the group saw it's share of turmoil; Littrell underwent surgery in early 1998 to correct a congenital heart defect, and the Boys became embroiled in lawsuits against Pearlman and the rest of their management over royalties for most of the rest of the year. When the dust settled, Pearlman remained the group's manager (though the rest of the team was fired), and the Boys began work on their follow-up album. Millennium sold a great 12 million copies as of summer 2000. The group released it's Christmas album before the end of the year, by which time Millennium was well on its way to producing hits, the Backstreet Boys issued Black & Blue in fall 2000. |
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| Again, the Backstreet Boys went through turmoil. In July 2001, McLean underwent rehab for depression and alcoholism. The group proclaimed that this was due to the recent death of McLean's grandmother. The group was forced to push back tour dates until McLean's recovery. Their fans gave them endless support throughout all the difficulties. In October 2001, the Backstreet Boys released The Hits: Chapter 1, a compilation of their most successful hits as well as an additional track entitled Drowning. Although, the album is composed of their greatest hits, Backstreet Boy, Kevin Richardson, says, "This represents the end of one phase of our career and the beginning of another." The album sold over 1 million copies in its first week of sales. |