| Product Summary | | Label: Uni/dgc Records | | UPC: 00606949048525 | | Release Date: 11/23/1999 | | Buy.com Sku: 60369333 | | Item#: MLNW9V | Format:  CD |
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(P) 1999 Interscope Geffen (A&M) Records A Division of UMG Recordings Inc.
(C) 1999 Geffen Records Inc.
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| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | MIDNITE VULTURES contains a hidden song after several minutes of silence on track 11. | | Personnel: Beck Hansen (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, marimba); Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (acoustic & electric guitars, acoustic & Fender Rhodes pianos, Clavinet, organ, synthesizer, tambourine, shaker, electronic drums, percussion, background vocals); Smokey Hormel, Tony Hoffer, Johnny Marr (guitar); Jay Dee Maness, Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar); Herb Peterson (banjo); Joel Derouin, Eve Butler (violin); David Campbell (viola); Larry Corbett (cello); David Ralicke (tenor saxophone, trombone); David Brown (tenor saxophone); Jon Birdsong (trumpet); Steve Baxter, Joe Turano (horns, background vocals); Fernando Pullum (horns); Justin Meldal-Johnsen (acoustic & electric basses, synthesizer, sound effects); Joey Waronker (drums, percussion); Mickey Petralia (programming); DJ Swamp, The Dust Brothers (scratches); Arnold McCuller, Valerie Pinkton, Beth Orton, Arroyo Bombers, Arroyo Tabernacle Mens Chorale (background vocals). | | Producers: Beck Hansen, The Dust Brothers, Mickey Petralia, Tony Hoffer. | | Engineers include: Mickey Petralia, Tony Hoffer, The Dust Brothers. | | Recorded between July 1998 and June 1999. | | MIDNITE VULTURES was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Album Of The Year and for Best Alternative Music Album. | | Personnel: Beck (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, vocoder, programming); Tony Hoffer (guitar, wah-wah guitar, programming); Justin Meldal-Johnsen (guitar, synthesizer, upright bass, shaker, hand claps, percussion, background vocals); Smokey Hormel (guitar); Johnny Marr (electric guitar); Herb Pedersen (banjo); Eve Butler, Joel Derouin (violin); David Campbell (viola); Larry Corbett (cello); David Brown (tenor saxophone); Jon Birdsong (trumpet); David Ralicke (trombone); Joe Turano, Steve Baxter (horns, background vocals); Fernando Pullum (horns); Roger Manning (piano, Clavinet, organ, synthesizer, vocoder, shaker, tambourine, background vocals); Joey Waronker (drums, percussion); The Dust Brothers (programming, scratches); Mickey Petralia (programming); DJ Swamp (scratches); Arnold McCuller, Valerie Pinkston, Beth Orton (background vocals). | | Audio Mixers: Michael Patterson ; Mickey Petralia; Tony Hoffer; Beck. | | Recording information: Pcp Labs (07/1998-06/1999); Soft Studios (07/1998-06/1999). | | Editor: Tony Hoffer. | | Photographer: Charlie Gross. | | By calling the muted psychedelic folk-rock, blues, and Tropicalia of Mutations a stopgap, Beck set expectations for Midnite Vultures unreasonably high. Ironically, Midnite Vultures doesn't feel like a sequel to Odelay -- it's a genre exercise, like Mutations. This time, Beck delves into soul, funk, and hip-hop, touching on everything from Stax/Volt to No Limit but using Prince as his home base. He's eschewed samples, more or less, but not the aesthetic. Even when a song is reminiscent of a particular style, it's assembled in strange, exciting ways. As it kicks off with "Sexx Laws," it's hard not to get caught up in the rush, and "Nicotine & Gravy" carries on the vibe expertly, as does the party jam "Mixed Bizness" and the full-on electro workout "Get Real Paid," an intoxicating number that sounds like a Black Album reject. So far, so good -- the songs are tight, catchy, and memorable, the production dense. Then comes "Hollywood Freaks." The self-conscious gangsta goof is singularly irritating, not least because of Beck's affected voice. It's the first on Midnite Vultures to feel like a parody, and it's such an awkward, misguided shift in tone that it colors the rest of the album. Tributes now sound like send-ups, allusions that once seemed affectionate feel snide, and the whole thing comes off as a little jive. Musically, Midnite Vultures is filled with wonderful little quirks, but these are undercut by the sneaking suspicion that for all the ingenuity, it's just a hipster joke. Humor has always been a big part of Beck's music, but it was gloriously absurd, never elitist. Here, it's delivered with a smug smirk, undercutting whatever joy the music generates. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine | | Throughout the publicity tour for 1998's Mutations, Beck, his publicists, and his label emphasized that this was not the proper follow-up to Odelay, the 1996 album that cemented Beck's status as a wild, post-post-punk visionary. He was still toiling away on that record, planning to drop it in 1999. By passing off the muted, haunting psychedelic folk-rock, blues, and tropicalia of Mutations as a stopgap, Beck set expectations high for this Odelay follow-up, especially when word began circulating that Beth Orton, Kool Keith, Johnny Marr, and the Dust Brothers had all contributed to the album. Reportedly, over 40 tracks were recorded for the album, 11 of which (plus the inevitable hidden bonus track) were selected for Midnite Vultures. Ironically, in its final incarnation, Midnite Vultures doesn't feel at all like a sequel to Odelay -- it's a genre exercise, like Mutations. This time around, Beck has decided to delve into soul, funk, and hip-hop, touching on everything from Stax/Volt to No Limit but using Prince as his home base. He's eschewed samples, more or less, but not the aesthetic. Even when a song is reminiscent of a particular style, whether it's electro-funk or a slow jam, it's assembled in unpredictable ways, with layers of synths, guitars, rhythm loops, horns, and sundry sounds meshing in strange, exciting ways. As it kicks off with the uptempo Stax salute "Sexx Laws," it's hard not to get caught up in the rush, and "Nicotine & Gravy," which brilliantly blends funky soul with '80s electro, carries on the vibe expertly, as does the party jam "Mixed Bizness" and the full-on electro workout "Get Real Paid," an intoxicating number that sounds like a Black Album reject. So far, so good -- the songs are tight, catchy, and memorable, and the production is dense. Then "Hollywood Freaks" comes on. Though easily as immaculately produced as anything else on the album, the self-conscious gangsta goof is singularly irritating, not least because of Beck's affected voice. The song is the first on Midnite Vultures to feel like a parody, and it's such an awkward, misguided shift in tone that it colors the rest of the album. Songs that sounded like tributes now sound like send-ups, allusions that once seemed affectionate feel a little snide, and the whole thing comes off as, well, a little jive. It's not that the music is bad. Midnite Vultures is filled with wonderful little quirks, like the steel guitar break in "Sexx Laws" or the layered backing vocals on "Nicotine & Gravy." Ultimately, what prevents the album from being an unqualified success is the sneaking suspicion that for all the ingenuity, it's all a hipster joke. Humor has always been a big part of Beck's music, but it was gloriously absurd, never elitist. Here, it's possible to see the smirk on his face as he sings "step inside my Hyundai," "make all the lesbians scream," "we're on the good ship m?nage ? trois," and "Jockin' my Mercedes/ Probably have my baby/ Shop at Old Navy," all of which are a long way from "drive-by body-pierce" (from "Loser") or even "her left eye is lazy" (from "Nicotine & Gravy"). It's likely that all this smug smirkiness was supposed to enhance a record that was intended simply as a good-time party album, but it actually undercuts the joy that the music generates. And that's why Midnite Vultures is so problematic. Musically, Beck is at the top of his game, with about half of the record ranking among his best, but the self-satisfied tone of the record keeps it at a distance. It's possible to create funny, involving, clever, post-modern party music -- the Beastie Boys do it with every record, and Ween has absorbed the absurd spirit of Prince more than most would like to admit -- but Midnite Vultures misses the mark. And that's especially frustrating because Beck himself has hit that very target before, w |
Musical Guests | | Beth Orton | | Johnny Marr | | Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. |
| | Compilation Appearances |
| | Associated Artists and Works |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 11/23/1999 | | Original Release Date : 1999 | | Catalog ID : 490485 | | Label : DGC (David Geffen Company) (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Runtime : 58m : 21s | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00606949048525 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Rolling Stone (12/9/99, pp.73-4)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "...[Beck] plays the insider, riding the executive plane through the good life with every need fulfilled....definitely party music....the arrangements are even more hilariously overstuffed..."Entertainment Weekly (11/26/99, pp.91-2)
- "...the last great comedy record of the century....the year's most relentless gas - laughing or otherwise - of a party album..." - Rating: A- Q (1/00, p.83)
- Included in Q Magazine's "50 Best Albums of 1999." Q (12/99, pp.124-5)
- 4 stars out of 5 - "...some of the most fascinating and funky music of his career....a complex, riveting edition to the collected works of this still vaguely Numanesque individual..." Alternative Press (12/99, p.81)
- 5 out of 5 - "...saluting and blending funk styles so immediately familiar that the songs would come off like Weird Al parodies if they weren't so good....all 11 songs on it rock....Beck grows more serious as the stakes get lower..." The Wire (2/00, p.44)
- "...A masterclass in musical cunning...a recipe designed to irritate as much as it enthralls....dazzling..." CMJ (1/10/00, p.6)
- Ranked #21 in CMJ's "Top 30 Editorial Picks [for 1999]." CMJ (11/15/99, p.3)
- "...a thick vat of party groove stew prepared from 11 deliciously over-the-top, unclassifiable tracks....emphasizes that the man is an entertainer par excellence....his single most surreal moment on wax." Vibe (12/99, p.262)
- "...affectionately plunders a dizzying array of African-American musical styles, from '70s soul ballads to designer-label hip hop to gospel blues. It's got grooves to spare and, needless to say, it's charming and smart..." Mojo (Publisher)
(1/00, p.31)
- Ranked #8 in Mojo Magazine's "Best of 1999." Mojo (Publisher)
(12/99, pp.98-99)
- "...a masterpiece; a seamless fusion of medium and message, influence and inspiration....MIDNITE VULTURES takes delirious, lubricious pleasure in itself....it's damn foxy." |
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