| Mutations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Beck | ||||
| Released | November 3, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | March 19, 1998 – April 3, 1998 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, alternative country | |||
| Length | 49:17 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Producer | Beck Hansen, Nigel Godrich | |||
| Beck chronology | ||||
|
||||
Mutations is the sixth studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, released in 1998 on Geffen Records. Though less successful on the charts than the preceding Odelay, Mutations established Beck as an eclectic and innovative artist for his sample-free mixture of far-ranging musical genres, including tropicalia, bossa nova, country, and blues. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.[1]
Contents |
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.[2] 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.[3]
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 abstract artist Robert M. 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. As the record was in a markedly different style than the multi-platinum [Odelay], Geffen's marketing effort suggested that the album was not an "official" follow-up, but this was not given wide credence in the music press.
Singles were released for the songs "Tropicalia", "Cold Brains", and "Nobody's Fault But My Own". 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 #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.[4]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [5] |
| NME | |
| Pitchfork Media | [6] |
| The A.V. Club | (positive)[7] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[8] |
| Rolling Stone | |
The album received mostly positive reviews, gaining four stars from Rolling Stone and a 9.0 from Pitchfork Media. Allmusic deemed the record "one of the finest albums of the 1990s."[9]
All songs written by Beck Hansen.
There are a variety of bonus tracks on non-U.S. pressings of the album. "Runners Dial Zero", "Halo of Gold", "Black Balloon", and "Electric Music and the Summer People" (a re-recording of an Odelay era B-side) each appear on select international versions.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||