| Altered Beast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 July 1993 | |||
| Recorded | January – February 1993 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, power pop | |||
| Length | 57:32 | |||
| Label | Zoo Entertainment | |||
| Producer | Richard Dashut and Matthew Sweet | |||
| Matthew Sweet chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide |  [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− [3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
Altered Beast is the fourth album by alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on Zoo Entertainment in 1993.
Some of the album's guest musicians include: drummers Mick Fleetwood, Jody Stephens, and Pete Thomas; guitarists Richard Lloyd, Robert Quine, and Ivan Julian; keyboardist Nicky Hopkins,; [5] and violinist Byron Berline. The track "Intro" is a clip from the Malcolm McDowell film Caligula . [6]
The title of the album is borrowed from the arcade game Altered Beast . Sweet told Spin magazine that the title meant "whatever is inside you that someday might explode, and maybe you don't know it's there", which he found similar to the game, in which "you have to find these little power-up things, and when you eat them you become the Altered Beast, this other creature that's really powerful and violent". [7] The cover of the album, produced in five different colored versions (yellow, blue, green, orange and purple), features a dinosaur logo. Originally, Sweet wanted to use the logo of the Japanese delivery company Yamato Transport on the cover, but was denied permission; Sweet has described the dinosaur design as a "consolation prize".
Initial responses to the record were mixed, with Rolling Stone writing that it had "inspiring moments; the problem is finding them." [5] AllMusic agreed that the album is "all over the place", yet noted that "it takes a bit of time for all of it to make sense, but after a few listens, it falls together." [8]
In 2018, independent vinyl reissue label Intervention Records announced that it would be releasing Artist-Approved 2 LP Expanded Editions of 100% Fun , Altered Beast, and Girlfriend . The three albums will also be released on CD/SACD. Intervention also announced a first time on vinyl reissue of Son of Altered Beast . [9]
All songs written by Matthew Sweet; with the exception of Track 8, "Intro" excerpts from the movie "Caligula".
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [10] | 54 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [11] | 50 |
| US Billboard 200 [12] | 75 |
Robert Wolfe Quine was an American guitarist. A native of Akron, Ohio, Quine worked with a wide range of musicians, though he himself remained relatively unknown. Critic Mark Deming wrote that "Quine's eclectic style embraced influences from jazz, rock, and blues players of all stripes, and his thoughtful technique and uncompromising approach led to rewarding collaborations with a number of visionary musicians."
Sidney Matthew Sweet is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990s as a solo artist. His companion albums, Tomorrow Forever and Tomorrow's Daughter, were followed by 2018's Wicked System of Things and 2021's Catspaw, his 15th studio effort.
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Girlfriend is the third studio album by American alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on Zoo Entertainment in 1991.
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Earth is the second album by alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on A&M Records in 1989.
100% Fun is the fifth album by alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on Zoo Entertainment in 1995.
Blue Sky on Mars is the sixth album by alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on Zoo Entertainment in 1997.
In Reverse is the seventh album by alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on Volcano Entertainment in 1999.
Time Capsule: The Best of Matthew Sweet 90/00 is a compilation album by alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on Volcano Entertainment in 2000. It contains two new songs: "Ready" and "So Far".
"Girlfriend" is a 1991 song by American power pop musician Matthew Sweet, released as the lead single from his third album, Girlfriend. The song reached No. 4 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 10 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in Billboard magazine.
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"Monday Morning" is a 1975 song written and sung by Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. It is the first track from the multi-platinum, second eponymous album Fleetwood Mac. The song was later included on the band's 2002 compilation album, The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac. Reviewer Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic described the song as "a brilliant opening to a brilliant album" which he attributed to Buckingham's "strong pop instincts and craftsmanship".
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