The Information (Beck album)

Last updated

It started out painless, and ended up being painful. It's as if we made the album once, and we made it again, and we made it a third time. We started the record in 2003, and we got together annually, the producer [Nigel Godrich] and I. We combed over everything, and got rid of the things we were tired of, the things that seemed trite.

Artwork

The album was issued with a blank sleeve and booklet and one of four different sheets of stickers for fans to make their own album art. Beck explained to Wired magazine that he wanted no two copies of the CD cover to be the same: "The artwork is going to be customizable. The idea is to provide something that calls for interactivity." [9] However, because the album art concept was seen as a gimmick to bolster retail sales, The Information was deemed ineligible to enter the UK Albums Chart. [10]

Album Title

Beck explained the album title in an NME track by track stating "'The Information' is the thing that occupies our minds, so we won't have to deal with silence which may make us think. The album was going to be called "International Dreambag', but I thought it was too hippy, so at the last minute I named it after this. I generally have a rule against title tracks - I wanted to call it 'Colourforms', but it was trademarked."

Promotion

A series of low budget videos were made for every song on the album. Beck explained the making of these videos—which would also appear on video-sharing site YouTube—to Wired: [9]

We filmed a series of very low-budget, homemade videos for all the songs on the record. We got a bunch of cameras and a $100 video mixer off eBay and shot 15 silly, impromptu videos against a green screen. We even invited our friends and family into the studio to be a part of the action – my mother-in-law did the lighting, and my son and nieces and nephews are running around acting crazy. It was just a complete free-for-all, done on the fly. We're putting all the videos together right now with the idea of having a visual version of the record that we'll put on the Internet. I'm totally curious to see how the videos will add to the experience of listening to the album. Or maybe they'll actually detract from the experience. That would be funny.

Beck leaked tracks and videos on his web site months ahead of the album's release. "We're moving into a time when the song and the imagery and video are all able to exist as one thing," said Beck. "It's not even technically an audio thing anymore. It's something else." He also remarked, "I've been trying to do something like this for the last three albums," having released several versions of his previous album Guero (2005), including a deluxe CD/DVD package and a remix album called Guerolito (2005). "The conventional ways aren't working like they used to, so now there's a willingness to try new things." [5]

The first single in North America was "Nausea", which was officially released to radio on September 5, 2006. [11] The song was promoted with an official music video directed by Patrick Daughters. [12]

The first single in the UK was "Cellphone's Dead", with an official video directed by Michel Gondry. [13] "Think I'm in Love" went to US radio as the second and final single and became a Modern Rock and Triple A radio hit, garnering renewed interest in The Information.[ citation needed ]

Release

Some copies of the album included a bonus DVD of the low budget music videos. [6]

On February 27, 2007, a "deluxe version" of the album was released by Interscope. [4] It included a DVD containing all of the music videos, several bonus tracks, all four sticker sheets and a disc consisting of six remixes of three songs. [14]

Reception

The Information
TheInformation.jpeg
Physical artwork
Studio album by
Beck
ReleasedOctober 3, 2006 (2006-10-03)
Recorded2003–2006
Studio
  • Ocean Way (Los Angeles)
  • Conway (Los Angeles)
  • Sound Isadore (Los Angeles)
  • Beck's garage (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length61:33
Label Interscope
Producer Nigel Godrich
Beck chronology
Guerolito
(2005)		The Information
(2006)		 Modern Guilt
(2008)
Alternative cover
Beck The Information digital cover.jpg
Digital artwork
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 73/100 [15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]
The A.V. Club A− [17]
Entertainment Weekly A− [18]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [19]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [20]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)B+ [21]
NME 8/10 [22]
Pitchfork 6.9/10 [23]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [24]
Spin Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [25]

Commercial

The album reached number 7 on the US Billboard 200, number 6 in Canada and number 31 on Australia's ARIA Albums Chart. As of July 2008, The Information had sold 434,000 copies in the United States. [26]

Critical

Jon Pareles of The New York Times credited the album's dark themes as a reflection of the world's condition at the time and felt that Beck had made that apparent in the videos released alongside the album. Pareles described the album's approach as being a 1960s pop-infused sound with a more driven message. [27] Mike Driver of Drowned in Sound suggested that The Information was a mature and honest attempt at a multiple genre production without recreating what Beck had already accomplished. Driver praised Beck's variation in vocal style, ability to create a logical flow of tracks and the album's reflection of his unpredictable styles. [28] Barry Walters of The Village Voice described Beck as being as detached on The Information as he had ever been and opined that the band was far more energetic than he. Walters noted that Beck's work with Nigel Godrich was more sample-heavy than his collaborations with the Dust Brothers had been and felt that the album ultimately suffered from Beck's disconnected approach. [29] Nate Patrin of Pitchfork reviewed the deluxe edition of the album, which he felt was mostly a cash-in on an overlooked album, but praised the disc of remixes, which included mixes by big name performers. [30]

Rolling Stone magazine named The Information the 24th best album of 2006, while Spin magazine ranked it number 10 on their 40 Best Albums of 2006.

Retrospectively, Sean McCarthy of PopMatters felt The Information suffered from being overly long and was Beck's least interesting album, although he praised "Think I'm in Love," "Cellphone's Dead" and the title track. [31]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Beck Hansen, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Elevator Music" 3:38
2."Think I'm in Love" 3:20
3."Cellphone's Dead" 4:46
4."Strange Apparition" 3:48
5."Soldier Jane"Hansen, Nigel Godrich 4:00
6."Nausea" 2:55
7."New Round" 3:26
8."Dark Star" 3:45
9."We Dance Alone" 3:56
10."No Complaints" 3:00
11."1000BPM" 2:30
12."Motorcade"Hansen, Godrich4:15
13."The Information" 3:46
14."Movie Theme"Hansen, Godrich3:52
15."The Horrible Fanfare/Landslide/Exoskeleton"Hansen, Godrich10:36
Total length:61:33
Bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
16."Inside Out" (box set + UK and Japanese releases)3:43
17."This Girl That I Know" (box set + UK and Japanese releases)2:43
18."O Menina" (box set + Japan releases)2:08

Deluxe version

Disc one contains the original 15-track album re-sequenced with "New Round" moved from track 7 to 14, "Dark Star" moved from track 8 to 7 and "Movie Theme" moved from track 14 to 8. The disc also includes all three Japanese bonus tracks from above for a total of 18 tracks.

Disc two – Remixes
No.TitleLength
1."Cellphone's Dead" (Ellen Allien remix)5:37
2."Nausea Pirates Mix" (Bumblebeez remix)2:28
3."Dark Star" (David Andrew Sitek remix)4:08
4."Nausea" (The Chap remix)3:55
5."Cellphone's Dead" (Jamie Lidell Limited Minutes remix)4:32
6."Cellphone's Dead Villalobos Entlebuch RMX" (Ricardo Villalobos remix)14:38

The third disc contains the following music videos. Most of them homemade by Beck.

Disc three – Videos
No.TitleLength
1."Elevator Music"3:47
2."Think I'm in Love"2:58
3."Cellphone's Dead"5:00
4."Strange Apparition"3:48
5."Soldier Jane"4:06
6."Nausea"2:52
7."New Round"3:29
8."Dark Star"6:18
9."We Dance Alone"1:32
10."No Complaints"2:59
11."1000 BPM"2:39
12."Motorcade"2:35
13."The Information"4:00
14."Movie Theme"4:00
15."The Horrible Fanfare/Landslide/Exoskeleton"11:01
16."Inside Out"4:32
17."This Girl That I Know"2:57
18."Cellphone's Dead" (directed by Michel Gondry)9:34
19."Nausea" (directed by Patrick Daughters)4:31

Sample credits

Personnel

Technical

Charts

Chart (2006)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [33] 31
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [34] 56
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [35] 22
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [36] 50
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [37] 6
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [38] 15
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [39] 58
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [40] 39
French Albums (SNEP) [41] 40
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [42] 78
Italian Albums (FIMI) [43] 29
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [44] 37
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [45] 20
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [46] 26
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [47] 32
US Billboard 200 [48] 7
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [49] 3

The United Kingdom's Official Charts Company deemed The Information ineligible to chart, as they felt its customizable sticker album art gave it "an unfair advantage" in terms of album sales. [50]

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [51] Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA) [52] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Mutations</i> (Beck album) 1998 studio album by Beck

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.

<i>Sea Change</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Beck

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.

<i>Hell Freezes Over</i> 1994 live album by the Eagles

Hell Freezes Over is the second live album by the Eagles, released in 1994. The album is the first to be released after the Eagles had reformed following a fourteen-year break up. The band's lineup was that of the Long Run era: Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Don Felder, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit. It contains four new studio tracks and eleven tracks recorded live in April 1994 for an MTV special. Two Top 40 Mainstream singles, "Get Over It" and "Love Will Keep Us Alive", were released from the album. It also features an acoustic version of "Hotel California". The four new studio recordings are the last to feature Don Felder, who was fired from the band in 2001.

<i>Terror Twilight</i> 1999 studio album by Pavement

Terror Twilight is the fifth studio album by the American indie rock band Pavement. It was released on June 8, 1999, on Matador Records in the US and Domino Recording Company in the UK.

<i>Guero</i> 2005 studio album by Beck

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.

<i>Chaos and Creation in the Backyard</i> 2005 studio album by Paul McCartney

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.

<i>Times Up</i> (Living Colour album) 1990 studio album by Living Colour

Time's Up is the second studio album by the band Living Colour, released on August 28, 1990, through Epic Records. It was the follow-up to their successful 1988 album Vivid. Time's Up features a wide range of genres and also includes cameo appearances by Queen Latifah, Little Richard, Doug E. Fresh, Maceo Parker and James Earl Jones. The album reached gold status, peaking at #13 on the Billboard 200, and won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. It is the final album to feature Muzz Skillings on bass, though it was not his last release with the band. In late February 2014, the album was reissued in Europe by Music On CD and is available once again.

<i>Zebop!</i> 1981 studio album by Santana

Zebop! is the 12th studio album by the American rock band Santana. The album had several releases, and various different color cover backgrounds, including pink and red. The album featured "Winning"; both the album and single were one of Santana's last top 40 hits until 1999 with their release of Supernatural.

<i>Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits</i> 2000 live album by Elton John

Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits is a live album released by English musician Elton John in 2000. The album was recorded on 20 and 21 October 2000 at Madison Square Garden. An extended version was also released as a DVD, entitled One Night Only: The Greatest Hits Live at Madison Square Garden. While the album is called "One Night Only," it was in fact recorded over two nights. Due to technical issues on the first night, most of the recordings were drawn from the second show. In the US, it was certified gold in July 2001 by the RIAA.

<i>Fresco</i> (M People album) 1997 studio album by M People

Fresco is the fourth and latest studio album by the British dance band M People. It includes the Top 10 singles "Just for You" and "Angel St", the single "Fantasy Island", and a cover version of the Roxy Music song "Avalon". The album reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart, and was supported by a large UK arena tour. The tour confirmed M People as one of the UK's most successful live acts of the 1990s. Fresco became M People's last studio album to date as the group has not released any new material since. Various hit collections followed as well as two solo albums from lead singer Heather Small. By the end of 1998, Fresco had sold over 750,000 copies in the UK.

<i>Destiny</i> (Gloria Estefan album) 1996 studio album by Gloria Estefan

Destiny is the seventh studio solo album released by Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan, but is the nineteenth of her career overall. It shipped 1.6 million copies worldwide in its first month of release.

<i>Modern Guilt</i> 2008 studio album by Beck

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atoms for Peace (band)</span> English-American supergroup

Atoms for Peace were a rock supergroup comprising the Radiohead songwriter Thom Yorke, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Radiohead's producer Nigel Godrich, the drummer Joey Waronker of Beck and R.E.M., and the percussionist Mauro Refosco.

<i>Emotion & Commotion</i> 2010 studio album by Jeff Beck

Emotion & Commotion is the tenth studio album by guitarist Jeff Beck, released in April 2010 on Atco Records. In addition to featuring vocal performances by Joss Stone, Imelda May, and Olivia Safe, the album showcases a 64-piece orchestra on several tracks, and includes covers of well-known songs such as "Over the Rainbow", "Corpus Christi Carol", "Lilac Wine", and other rock and classical works.

<i>Morning Phase</i> 2014 studio album by Beck

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.

<i>Bloodstone & Diamonds</i> 2014 studio album by Machine Head

Bloodstone & Diamonds is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Machine Head, released via Nuclear Blast on November 7, 2014. It is the first album to feature Jared MacEachern who replaced founding bassist Adam Duce in 2013. Although the album does not have a title track, the album gets its name from a lyric from the opening track and second single, "Now We Die".

<i>Fifty Shades of Grey</i> (soundtrack) 2015 soundtrack album by Various artists

Fifty Shades of Grey (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the film of the same name adapted from E. L. James's eponymous novel that was released through Republic Records on February 10, 2015. It was the seventh best-selling album of 2015 with 2.2 million copies sold worldwide.

<i>Together with Cliff Richard</i> 1991 studio album by Cliff Richard

Together with Cliff Richard is a Christmas album by Cliff Richard, released in November 1991. The album features Richard singing popular traditional Christmas songs, his Christmas hits from recent years and two original songs.

<i>Is This the Life We Really Want?</i> 2017 studio album by Roger Waters

Is This the Life We Really Want? is the fourth solo album by the English rock musician Roger Waters, released on 2 June 2017 by Columbia Records. It was produced by Nigel Godrich, who urged Waters to make a more concise, less theatrical album. It was Waters' first solo album since Amused to Death (1992), and his first studio work since the opera Ça Ira (2005).

<i>Roll with the Punches</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Van Morrison

Roll with the Punches is the 37th studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released on 22 September 2017 by Caroline Records. It features Jeff Beck on guitar, and charted in the Top 10 in five countries, and the Top 40 in a further six, including the US.

References

  1. 1 2 "Beck: The Information, PopMatters". PopMatters. 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  2. ↑ Sexton, Paul (2022-10-03). "'The Information': Beck's Audio-Visual Tour De Force". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  3. ↑ "Beck: The Information, PopMatters". PopMatters. 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  4. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Information – Beck". Allmusic . Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Serpick, Evan (October 5, 2006). "Beck Breaks New Ground". Rolling Stone . No. 1010. New York City: Wenner Media LLC. p. 16. ISSN   0035-791X . Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Beck reveals all about new album". NME . Retrieved 2006-08-08.
  7. ↑ James Montgomery (June 26, 2006). "Beck Giving Fans Sticky Fingers With Quasi-Hip-Hop Album". London: MTV News . Retrieved 2006-08-09.
  8. ↑ "Beck's 'Painful' Album". BBC. October 2, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-10-22. Retrieved 2006-10-16.
  9. 1 2 Steur, Eric (September 2006). "The Infinite Album" (Interview). Wired . Retrieved October 16, 2006.
  10. ↑ "New Beck Album Denied U.K. Chart Eligibility". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Beck Reveals More Information". FMQB . Retrieved August 1, 2006.
  12. ↑ Montgomery, James (September 26, 2006). "BECK TAKES A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE — KIND OF — FOR 'NAUSEA' CLIP". MTV . Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Beck – Cellphone's Dead". Director File. Archived from the original on August 10, 2006. Retrieved August 9, 2006.
  14. ↑ Patrin, Nate. "Beck: The Information: Deluxe Edition". March 12, 2007. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  15. ↑ "Reviews for The Information by Beck". Metacritic . Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  16. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Information – Beck". AllMusic . Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  17. ↑ Phipps, Keith (October 3, 2006). "Beck: The Information". The A.V. Club . Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  18. ↑ Hermes, Will (October 3, 2006). "The Information". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on December 28, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  19. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (September 29, 2006). "Beck, The Information". The Guardian . London. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  20. ↑ Gill, Andy (September 29, 2006). "Album: Beck". The Independent . London. Archived from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  21. ↑ Christgau, Robert (April 2007). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music . Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  22. ↑ Pattison, Louis (September 22, 2006). "Beck: The Information". NME . Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  23. ↑ Dombal, Ryan (October 4, 2006). "Beck: The Information". Pitchfork . Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  24. ↑ Fricke, David (September 30, 2006). "The Information". Rolling Stone . Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  25. ↑ Anderson, Kyle (November 2006). "Back to the Lab". Spin . 22 (11): 99. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Ask Billboard". Billboard. 2008-07-18. Archived from the original on 2008-08-01. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  27. ↑ Pareles, Jon. "Beck "The Information"". The New York Times . Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  28. ↑ Driver, Mike. "Beck The Information". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  29. ↑ Walters, Barry. "Disinformation Society". The Village Voice . Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  30. ↑ Patrin, Nate. "Beck The Information: Deluxe Edition". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  31. ↑ McCarthy, Sean (26 February 2014). "A Strange Invitation: Ranking the Beck Albums". PopMatters . Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  32. 1 2 "Beck Song Information - The Horrible Fanfare / Landslide / Exoskeleton". whiskeyclone.net.
  33. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Beck – The Information". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Beck – The Information" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Beck – The Information" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Beck – The Information" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  37. ↑ "Beck Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  38. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Beck – The Information". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  39. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Beck – The Information" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  40. ↑ "Beck: The Information" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  41. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Beck – The Information". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  42. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Beck – The Information" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  43. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Beck – The Information". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  44. ↑ "Charts.nz – Beck – The Information". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  45. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Beck – The Information". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  46. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Beck – The Information". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  47. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Beck – The Information". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  48. ↑ "Beck Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  49. ↑ "Beck Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  50. ↑ Goodman, Elizabeth (4 October 2006). "U.K. Charts Discriminate Against Beck's Stickers". Rolling Stone.
  51. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Beck – The Information". Music Canada.
  52. ↑ "American album certifications – Beck – The Information". Recording Industry Association of America.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.