Mutations (Beck Album)

''Mutations'' is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Beck, released on November 3, 1998 by DGC Records. Though less commercially successful than the preceding '' Odelay'', it won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.

Background and recording

''Mutations'' was produced by Nigel Godrich, who was well-known at that point for his previous work with Radiohead. The album contains a number of Moog keyboards, acoustic guitars, and string arrangements. AllMusic credits entry for ''Mutations' The production style was very different from that of his previous album '' Odelay'', which was heavily influenced by hip hop music and contained many samples. The lyrical content of ''Mutations'' is also much more somber and serious than that on ''Odelay'', apparent in the songs "Nobody's Fault but My Own" and "Dead Melodies".

The title ''Mutations'' may be a nod to an influential Brazilian band of the late 60s, Os Mutantes. The song "Tropicalia" pastiches the works of Brazilian tropicalia artists of the era.

Artwork and packaging

The record's front cover, a picture of Beck tangled in plastic wrap, was taken by music photographer Autumn de Wilde. Art direction was by designer Robert Fisher. The interior artwork features sculptures and drawings by artist Tim Hawkinson.

Release

Before beginning the recording sessions, Beck gained permission from the major label he was under contract with, Geffen, to release ''Mutations'' on the small indie label Bong Load Records. However, when Geffen executives heard the album, they reneged on their agreement and released the record. This led to a lawsuit filed by Beck against Geffen.

Singles were released for the songs " Tropicalia", "Cold Brains" (Australia and New Zealand only), and "Nobody's Fault but My Own" (Japan only). No promotional music videos were made for any of the singles. Beck appeared on '' Saturday Night Live'' in promotion of ''Mutations'', performing "Tropicalia" and "Nobody's Fault but My Own".

''Mutations'' peaked at number 13 in the US, going gold, and achieved 24 in the UK and 23 in Australia. As of July 2008, ''Mutations'' has sold 586,000 copies in the United States. As of 1999 it has sold over one million copies worldwide.

Reception

The album received critical acclaim. It gained four stars from '' Rolling Stone'' and a 9.0 from '' Pitchfork''. Thomas Ward of AllMusic deemed the record "one of the finest albums of the 1990s". AllMusic review for the track " Cold Brains

Track listing

Bonus tracks

There are a variety of bonus tracks on non-US pressings of the album.
*"Electric Music and the Summer People" (Japanese release track 12).
*"Diamond Bollocks" is track 13 on the Japanese release, whereas it is an unlisted hidden track on the US release.
*"Runners Dial Zero": (UK, German releases track 13 and Japanese release track 14).
*"Halo of Gold" (German limited edition track 14).
*"Black Balloon" (German limited edition track 15).

Personnel

*Beck – guitar, harmonica, piano, glockenspiel, synthesizer, vocals, producer
*Elliot Caine – trumpet
* David Campbell – arranger, conductor, viola
*Larry Corbett – cello
* Warren Klein – sitar, tamboura
*Bob Ludwig – mastering
*David Ralicke – flute, trombone
* Nigel Godrich – producer, mixing
* Smokey Hormel – guitar, percussion, background vocals, cuica
* Joey Waronker – percussion, drums, synthesizer drums
* Robert Fisher – art direction
* Justin Meldal-Johnsen – bass, percussion, background vocals
* Roger Manning – synthesizer, organ, keyboards, harpsichord, background vocals, percussion
*John Sorenson – assistant engineer
*Charlie Gross – photography
* Autumn de Wilde – photography

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutations (Album)
Beck albums
DGC Records albums
1998 albums
Albums arranged by David Campbell (composer)
Albums produced by Nigel Godrich
Geffen Records albums
Albums produced by Beck
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album