Wolf and Sheep (album)

Wolf and Sheep is the second studio album by South Korean boy group H.O.T., released through SM Entertainment on July 5, 1997. The album spawned three singles that were promoted with music videos and live performances on music programs: "Wolf and Sheep", "Full of Happiness", and "We Are the Future".

The album was a commercial success in South Korea, selling one million copies in ten days. By the end of 1998, it had sold more than 1.5 million copies and became one of the best-selling albums in the country. H.O.T. won several awards with Wolf and Sheep, including the Album Daesang at the annual Golden Disc Awards and the Grand Prize (daesang) at the Seoul Music Awards.

Background and production
In September 1996, H.O.T. released their debut studio album, We Hate All Kinds of Violence. The tracks "Warrior's Descendant" and "Candy" were hit singles, making the group become popular with teenagers. H.O.T. won Best New Artist at the 1996 Golden Disc Awards three months after their debut. In February 1997, the group announced that they would temporarily stop appearing on TV in order to work on their second album.

Production took place in SM Entertainment's own studios and in studios in the United States, including in Larrabee Studio. Yoo Young-jin and Lee Soo-man acted as record producers, while both Korean and American musicians were enlisted for various aspects of production. Outside of a number of public schedules, H.O.T. spent the majority of the time in between albums working on Wolf and Sheep.

Release and reception
Wolf and Sheep was released as H.O.T.'s second studio album on July 5, 1997, and served as a follow-up to the success of their debut album We Hate All Kinds of Violence from the previous year. Upon the album's release, however, the single "Wolf and Sheep" was judged unfit for broadcast in South Korea due to some of its lyrical content.

In a February 2013 review of the album, critic Wei Su-ji of webzine IZM complimented the record's composition and felt that the song's were more refined as compared with those from the group's previous effort. Wei highlighted "Wolf and Sheep" and "Full of Happiness" as musical parallels to "Warrior's Descendant" and "Candy", with each track representing a "strong man" and a "lively boy" persona that teenage boys can possess. She additionally complimented the melodies and lyrics of the ballad tracks "Free to Fly" and "You & I". Commercially, Wolf and Sheep recorded sales of over 1 million copies within ten days. By the end of 1998, it sold more than 1.5 million copies in South Korea.

Promotion
In September 1997, H.O.T.'s first fan club inauguration ceremony was held as part of album-related promotional activities. In January 1998, the group held a solo concert tour in South Korea before embarking on a tour in the United States the following month. It made stops in New York City, Washington D.C., Honolulu and Los Angeles.