The Weeknd previewed the album at a listening party in New York City on October 24. Promotion Ī video accompanying the track 'Rolling Stone' was released on October 3, 2012, to promote the album's release. To re-release the mixtapes' music for retail, the Weeknd had to obtain clearance from the recording artists he had originally sampled for certain songs, including Beach House's 'Master of None' for 'The Party & the After Party' and Siouxsie and the Banshees's ' Happy House' on 'House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls' the sample of Aaliyah's ' Rock the Boat' on 'What You Need' was excluded from Trilogy.

' Twenty Eight', 'Valerie', and 'Til Dawn (Here Comes the Sun)' were included as bonus tracks at the end of each of the compilation's discs. The mixtapes were subsequently remastered and compiled for Trilogy, along with three previously unreleased songs, which were recorded at Liberty Studios in Toronto.

In September 2012, the Weeknd signed with Republic Records in a joint venture with his own imprint label XO. The Weeknd released the mixtapes online as free digital downloads. The mixtapes were principally recorded with producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo, at Dream House and Site Sound Studios in Toronto additional sessions took place at Sterling Road Studios. In 2011, the Weeknd released a series of mixtapes- House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence-and garnered both critical acclaim and a growing fan base. The album charted at number five and number four in Canada and the United States, respectively. It was promoted with three singles and the Weeknd's concert tour during September to November 2012. Trilogy received generally positive reviews from critics, who reinforced the previous acclaim of the mixtapes, although some found it indulgent. It is composed of re-mixed and remastered versions of his 2011 mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, and three previously-unreleased songs.

It was released on November 13, 2012, through XO and Republic Records. Trilogy is the first compilation album by Canadian singer the Weeknd.

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