''Beautiful Freak'' is the debut album by American rock band Eels. It was released on 13 August 1996 and is the second album released by record label DreamWorks.

Background

''Beautiful Freak'' is the first album using the full band name Eels, in an attempt to get the records in the same general location in the stores as frontman Mark Oliver Everett's previous works under the name "E".

Recording

''Beautiful Freak'' was produced by E,

Jon Brion Jon Brion (born December 11, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and The Grays (band), the Grays before becoming an established pro ...

, Mark Goldenberg and Michael Simpson. The majority of the album was recorded from 1993 to 1995, with first single "Novocaine for the Soul" (which contains a sample of "Let the Four Winds Blow" by Fats Domino) having been recorded and mixed as early as 1993. "Susan's House" contains a sample of "Love Finds Its Own Way" by

Gladys Knight & the Pips Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early ...

; "Guest List" contains a sample of "I Like It" by The Emotions; and "Flower" contains sample of "I'm Glad You're Mine" by Al Green.

Artwork

Everett had suggested having a little girl with big eyes on the cover. The girl that came in to have her picture taken incidentally looked "like a miniature Susan" to Everett, referring to his ex-girlfriend and the subject of the song " Susan's House".

Release

''Beautiful Freak'' was released on August 13, 1996, by record label DreamWorks, the first album released on the label. The album peaked at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart. Four singles were released to promote the album: " Novocaine for the Soul" in February 1996, "Susan's House" in May, " Your Lucky Day in Hell" in September, and the title track the following year. The April 1997 German release of the album included a bonus live EP from a

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recording session.

Reception

In a contemporary review of ''Beautiful Freak'', '' Q'' praised the album as "a complete musical vision, a genre-spanning soundscape that reels you in with its myriad hooks".

Robert Hilburn Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As music critic and editor at the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays, and profiles have appeared in publications worldwide ...

of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' wrote that "Eels' maverick vision reminds you of all the great Los Angeles bands, from the Flying Burrito Brothers to X, that have chronicled the outsider, underdog attitude in the shadows of a record industry that never embraces them commercially." Ethan Smith of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' stated that "the Eels' postgrunge pop melodies and quirky, intelligent production make for catchy modern rock that's miles ahead of the competition", but felt that E's "attempts at warts-and-all portrayals of urban life come off as a disingenuous, arty pose" and that "a little less pretension would get these guys a lot further." ''

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'' critic Mark Caro was less favorable, writing that E's lyrics paint him as "either naive and self-absorbed or patronizing and calculating". ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

''s

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

assigned the album a "dud" rating, indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought." In his retrospective review, James Chrispell of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote: "Concise pop tunes form the backbone of the album, yet tinges of despair and downright meanness surface just when you've been lulled into thinking this is another pop group". '' Trouser Press'' wrote that "E's material works best when he finds the rare balance between his misanthropy and his capacity for warmth."

Legacy

It was voted number 666 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's '' All Time Top 1000 Albums'' (2000). The album was included in the book '' 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''.

Track listing

All tracks written by E, except as noted #" Novocaine for the Soul" (E and Mark Goldenberg) – 3:08 #" Susan's House" (E, Jim Jacobsen, and Jim Weatherly) – 3:43 #"Rags to Rags" (E) – 3:53 #"Beautiful Freak" (E) – 3:34 #"Not Ready Yet" (

and E) – 4:46 #"My Beloved Monster" (E) – 2:13 #"Flower" (E and Jacobsen) – 3:38 #"Guest List" (E) – 3:13 #"Mental" (E) – 4:01 #"Spunky" (E) – 3:11 #" Your Lucky Day in Hell" (E and Goldenberg) – 4:28 #"Manchild" (E and Jill Sobule) – 4:05 German edition bonus disc The April 14, 1997 German release of the album included a bonus live EP from a

recording session #"Novocaine for the Soul" (E and Goldenberg) – 3:22 #"Manchester Girl" (E) – 3:21 #"My Beloved Mad Monster Party" (E) – 2:34 #"Flower" (E and Jacbosen) – 3:17

Personnel

Eels * Butch – drums, backing vocals, production,

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

* E – vocals, guitar, Wurlitzer electric piano, production, engineering * Tommy Walter – bass guitar, backing vocals Additional musicians *

– guitar, trombone, Chamberlin * Mark Goldenberg – guitar, keyboards, production, engineering * Jim Jacobsen – keyboards, loops, engineering Technical * Michael Simpson – production, mixing * Jon Brion – production, engineering * Amir Derakh – engineering * Matt Thorne – engineering * Billy Kinsley – mixing * Rob Seifert – mixing * Stephen Marcussen – mastering * Ann Giordano – photography * Francesca Restrepo – art direction, sleeve design

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1996 debut albums Albums produced by Jon Brion DreamWorks Records albums Eels (band) albums Albums produced by Mark Oliver Everett Albums produced by Mark Goldenberg Albums produced by Michael Simpson (producer)