Wikipedia

Mutations(Beck album)

Mutationsis the sixthstudio albumby the American songwriterBeck,released on November 3, 1998, byDGC Records.Though less commercially successful than the precedingOdelay,it won aGrammy AwardforBest Alternative Music Album.[4]

Mutations
Studio albumby
Beck
ReleasedNovember 3, 1998
RecordedMarch 19–April 3, 1998
StudioOcean Way(Hollywood)
Genre
Length49:17
Label
Producer
Beckchronology
Odelay
(1996) 		Mutations
(1998) 		Midnite Vultures
(1999)
SinglesfromMutations
  1. "Tropicalia"
    Released: December 7, 1998
  2. "Cold Brains"
    Released: March 1, 1999
  3. "Nobody's Fault but My Own"
    Released: April 21, 1999 (Japan)

Background and recording

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Mutationswas produced byNigel Godrich,who was known at that point for his work withRadiohead.The album contains a number ofMoog keyboards,acoustic guitars, and string arrangements.[5]The production style was very different from that of Beck's previous albumOdelay,which was heavily influenced byhip hop musicand contained manysamples.The lyrics are also much more somber and serious than those onOdelay,apparent in the songs "Nobody's Fault but My Own" and "Dead Melodies".

Artwork and packaging

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The record's front cover, a picture of Beck tangled inplastic wrap,was taken by the music photographerAutumn de Wilde.Art direction was by designer Robert Fisher. The interior artwork features sculptures and drawings by artistTim Hawkinson.

Release

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Before beginning the recording sessions, Beck gained permission from the major label he was under contract with,Geffen,to releaseMutationson the smallindielabelBong 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.[6]

Singles were released for the songs "Tropicalia","Cold Brains "(Australia and New Zealand only), and" Nobody's Fault but My Own "(Japan only). No promotionalmusic videoswere made for any of the singles. Beck appeared onSaturday Night Livein promotion ofMutations,performing "Tropicalia" and "Nobody's Fault but My Own".

Mutationsreached number 13 in the US, going gold, and achieved 24 in the UK and 23 in Australia. As of July 2008,Mutationshas sold 586,000 copies in the United States.[7]As of 1999 it has sold over one million copies worldwide.[8]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Entertainment WeeklyB[10]
The Guardian[11]
Los Angeles Times[12]
NME8/10[13]
Pitchfork9.0/10[14]
Q[15]
Rolling Stone[16]
Spin8/10[17]
The Village VoiceA−[18]

Mutationsreceived critical acclaim. It gained four stars fromRolling Stoneand a 9.0 fromPitchfork.Thomas Ward ofAllMusicdeemed the record "one of the finest albums of the 1990s".[19]

Track listing

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All tracks are written byBeck Hansen

No.TitleLength
1."Cold Brains"3:41
2."Nobody's Fault but My Own"5:02
3."Lazy Flies"3:44
4."Canceled Check"3:14
5."We Live Again"3:05
6."Tropicalia"3:20
7."Dead Melodies"2:36
8."Bottle of Blues"4:56
9."O Maria"3:59
10."Sing It Again"4:19
11."Static" (includes hidden track[note 1])11:20
Total length:49:17
Notes
  1. ^"Static" ends at 4:20, withhidden track"Diamond Bollocks" starting at 5:18
Japanese Edition Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Electric Music and the Summer People"4:39
13."Diamond Bullocks"6:02
14."Runners Dial Zero"4:03

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (1998–1999) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[20] 24
Canadian Albums(Billboard)[21] 6
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[22] 40
French Albums (SNEP)[23] 36
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 49
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] 24
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[26] 18
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 29
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 46
UK Albums(OCC)[29] 24
USBillboard200[30] 13

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[31] Platinum 100,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[32] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[34] Gold 586,000[7]
Summaries
Worldwide — 1,000,000[8]

*Sales figures based on certification alone.
^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^abErlewine, Stephen Thomas."Beck Biography, Songs, & Albums".AllMusic.RetrievedSeptember 6,2021.
  2. ^"Hegemony Rocks: The Devil I Know: Beck's" Guero "".The Wesleyan Argus.2005-04-08.Retrieved2023-08-04.
  3. ^Martins, Chris (October 17, 2017)."The L.A./Icon Interview: Beck Los Angeles Magazine".Los Angeles Magazine.RetrievedSeptember 6,2021.
  4. ^"Grammy Awards: Best Alternative Music Performance".Rock On The Net.RetrievedMarch 2,2012.
  5. ^AllMusiccredits entry forMutations
  6. ^Kaufmann, Gil (October 5, 1999)."Beck Settles Lawsuits Before New Album Release".MTV.Archived fromthe originalon October 25, 2017.
  7. ^ab"Ask Billboard".Billboard.2008-07-18. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-08-01.Retrieved2008-07-18.
  8. ^ab"Beck Countersues Geffen".Billboard. May 22, 1999.RetrievedApril 20,2018.
  9. ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas."Mutations – Beck".AllMusic.RetrievedSeptember 13,2012.
  10. ^Browne, David(October 30, 1998)."Mutations".Entertainment Weekly.Archived fromthe originalon January 9, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 13,2012.
  11. ^Sullivan, Caroline (November 6, 1998). "Beck: Mutations (Geffen)".The Guardian.
  12. ^Nichols, Natalie (November 1, 1998)."Some Intriguing 'Mutations'".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on March 3, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 20,2016.
  13. ^Segal, Victoria (October 29, 1998)."Beck – Mutations".NME.Archived fromthe originalon August 17, 2000.RetrievedSeptember 13,2012.
  14. ^Lieberman, Neil (November 1998)."Beck: Mutations".Pitchfork.Archived fromthe originalon August 30, 2005.RetrievedJune 1,2012.
  15. ^Gittins, Ian (December 1998)."Beck: Mutations".Q(147): 115. Archived fromthe originalon September 12, 1999.RetrievedAugust 30,2018.
  16. ^Brackett, Nathan (November 26, 1998)."Mutations".Rolling Stone.RetrievedSeptember 13,2012.
  17. ^Wolk, Douglas(December 1998)."Beck: Mutations".Spin.14(12):170–72.RetrievedFebruary 20,2016.
  18. ^Christgau, Robert(December 15, 1998)."Consumer Guide".The Village Voice.RetrievedFebruary 20,2016.
  19. ^AllMusicreview for the track "Cold Brains"
  20. ^"Australiancharts.com – Beck – Mutations".Hung Medien. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  21. ^"Beck Chart History (Canadian Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  22. ^"Beck: Mutations "(in Finnish).Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  23. ^"Lescharts.com – Beck – Mutations".Hung Medien. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  24. ^"Officialcharts.de – Beck – Mutations".GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  25. ^"Charts.nz – Beck – Mutations".Hung Medien. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  26. ^"Norwegiancharts.com – Beck – Mutations".Hung Medien. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  27. ^"Swedishcharts.com – Beck – Mutations".Hung Medien. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  28. ^"Swisscharts.com – Beck – Mutations".Hung Medien. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  29. ^"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  30. ^"Beck Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  31. ^"Canadian album certifications – Beck – Mutations".Music Canada.
  32. ^"Japanese album certifications – Beck – Mutations"(in Japanese).Recording Industry Association of Japan.Select1998 niên 11 nguyệton the drop-down menu
  33. ^"British album certifications – Beck – Mutations".British Phonographic Industry.
  34. ^"American album certifications – Beck – Mutations".Recording Industry Association of America.
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