| Mutations | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 3, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | March 19–April 3, 1998 | |||
| Studio | Ocean Way (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 49:17 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Beck chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Mutations | ||||
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Mutations is the sixth studio album by the American songwriter 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. [4]
Mutations was produced by Nigel Godrich, who was known at that point for his work with Radiohead. The album contains a number of Moog keyboards, acoustic guitars, and string arrangements. [5] The production style was very different from that of Beck's previous album Odelay , which was heavily influenced by hip hop music and contained many samples. The lyrics are also much more somber and serious than those on Odelay, apparent in the songs "Nobody's Fault but My Own" and "Dead Melodies".
The record's front cover, a picture of Beck tangled in plastic wrap, was taken by the music photographer Autumn de Wilde. Art direction was by designer Robert Fisher. The interior artwork features sculptures and drawings by artist Tim Hawkinson.
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. [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 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 reached 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. [7] As of 1999 it has sold over one million copies worldwide. [8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B [10] |
| The Guardian | [11] |
| Los Angeles Times | [12] |
| NME | 8/10 [13] |
| Pitchfork | 9.0/10 [14] |
| Q | [15] |
| Rolling Stone | [16] |
| Spin | 8/10 [17] |
| The Village Voice | A− [18] |
Mutations 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". [19]
All tracks are written by Beck Hansen
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Charts (1998–99) | 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 |
| US Billboard 200 [30] | 13 |
| 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 | 500,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Mellow Gold is the third studio album by American musician Beck, released on March 1, 1994, by DGC Records. Critics noted the album's hybrid of various styles including rock, hip hop, folk, blues, psychedelia, and country, as well as ironic, witty lyrics. Its decidedly anti-commercial attitude led to it becoming an unexpected commercial success, peaking at number thirteen in the United States and eventually being certified platinum. As of July 2008, Mellow Gold has sold over 1.2 million copies in the United States.
Odelay is the fifth studio album by American musician Beck, released on June 18, 1996, by DGC Records. The album featured several successful singles, including "Where It's At", "Devils Haircut", and "The New Pollution", and peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard 200. As of July 2008, the album had sold 2.3 million copies in the United States, making Odelay Beck's most successful album to date. Since its release, the album has appeared in numerous publications' lists of the greatest of the 1990s and of all time.
Midnite Vultures is the seventh studio album by American musician Beck, released on November 23, 1999, by DGC Records. While similar to most of Beck's previous albums in its exploration of widely varying styles, it did not achieve the same blockbuster success as his breakthrough album Odelay, but was still critically acclaimed and commercially successful.
Sea Change is the eighth studio album by American musician Beck, released on September 24, 2002, by Geffen Records. Recorded over a two-month period in Los Angeles with producer Nigel Godrich, the album features themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude, and loneliness. For the album, much of Beck's trademark cryptic and ironic lyrics were replaced by simpler, more sincere lyrical content. He also eschewed the heavy sampling of his previous albums for live instrumentation. Beck cited the breakup with his longtime girlfriend as the major influence on the album.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in 1993. It is Petty's best-selling album to date and was certified 12× Platinum by the RIAA on April 28, 2015. The single "Mary Jane's Last Dance" became one of Petty's most popular songs, reaching No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The other new song on the album is a cover of the Thunderclap Newman hit "Something in the Air". The album contains no songs from 1987's Let Me Up . However, three songs from Petty's 1989 solo album Full Moon Fever were included.
A Little South of Sanity is a live album by American hard rock band Aerosmith, released on October 20, 1998, by Geffen Records. The two-disc album features recordings taken while the band was on the Nine Lives Tour, which began in 1997 and was still ongoing at the time of the live album release, and the Get a Grip Tour, which the band was on tour with from 1993 to 1994.
Talkie Walkie is the third studio album by French electronic music duo Air, released on 26 January 2004 by Virgin Records. "Alone in Kyoto" was included on the soundtrack to the 2003 film Lost in Translation, and "Run" was used in both the Veronica Mars episode "Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner" and the 2004 French film Lila Says. "Talkie-walkie" means walkie-talkie in French.
Heart of Stone is the nineteenth studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released on July 10, 1989 by Geffen Records. As of January 1991, the album has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide. The album was supported by Cher's 1989–1990 Heart of Stone Tour.
Guero is the ninth studio album by American musician Beck, released on March 29, 2005, by Interscope Records. It was produced with John King and Mike Simpson of the Dust Brothers, who had worked with Beck on his 1996 album Odelay, as well as Tony Hoffer.
Cross Road is the first official greatest hits album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on October 11, 1994, by Mercury Records. The album contains hits from all previously released albums from their debut, Bon Jovi (1984) to Keep the Faith (1992). The album also features two new tracks: the hit singles "Always" and "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night", as well as a new, updated rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer" entitled "Prayer '94" available only on the North American versions.
Milk and Honey is the sixth and final studio album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, released in January 1984, three years after Lennon’s murder. It is Lennon's eighth and final album, and the first posthumous release of new Lennon music, having been recorded in the last months of his life during and following the sessions for his 1980 album Double Fantasy. It was assembled by Yoko Ono in association with the Geffen label.
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard is the thirteenth solo studio album by Paul McCartney, released on 12 and 13 September, 2005. Some 18 months in the making, the album was produced by Radiohead and Beck collaborator Nigel Godrich at George Martin's suggestion.
Festivál is the eighth studio album by Santana, released in January 1977. It peaked number twenty seven in the Billboard 200 chart and number twenty nine in the R&B Albums chart.
In Square Circle is the twentieth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released in 1985. The album features the hit singles "Part-Time Lover", "Go Home", "Overjoyed", and "Land of La La". The album earned Wonder a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 1986 Grammy Awards.
The Information is the tenth studio album by American musician Beck, released on October 3, 2006 by Interscope Records. It was produced and mixed by Nigel Godrich, with whom Beck recorded Mutations (1998) and Sea Change (2002). Recording took place from 2003 to 2006, with Beck concurrently working on 2005's Guero with the Dust Brothers. The album received positive reviews from critics and made several publications' year-end lists.
The discography of Beck, an American rock musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist, consists of 14 studio albums, one compilation album, one remix album, four extended plays (EPs) and 52 singles. With a pop art collage of musical styles, oblique and ironic lyrics, and postmodern arrangements incorporating samples, drum machines, live instrumentation and sound effects, Beck has been hailed by critics and the public throughout his musical career as being amongst the most creative and idiosyncratic musicians of 1990s and 2000s alternative rock.
Nobody Else is the third studio album by English boy band Take That. It would become Take That's last studio album to be recorded before their initial disbandment in 1996.
"Deadweight" is a single by American musician Beck, released as a single from the soundtrack to the 1997 romantic black comedy film A Life Less Ordinary. The song was nominated for Best Song from a Movie at the 1998 MTV Movie Awards but lost to Will Smith's "Men in Black". The song can also be found on the deluxe version of Beck's fifth studio album, Odelay (1996).
Modern Guilt is the eleventh studio album by American musician Beck, released in 2008 by both DGC Records and XL Recordings. The album was produced by Beck and Danger Mouse and features two contributions by Cat Power.
Morning Phase is the twelfth official studio album and twelfth overall by American singer Beck. The album was released in February 2014 by his new label, Capitol Records. According to a press release, Morning Phase is a "companion piece" to Beck's 2002 album Sea Change. Almost every credited musician who recorded parts for Sea Change returned to record for Morning Phase, with the sole exception being Sea Change producer Nigel Godrich.
