The Information
Encyclopedia
The Information is the tenth (and seventh major-label) studio album
by American
alternative rock
musician Beck
, released in October 2006 on Interscope Records
. It was produced and mixed by longtime Beck collaborator Nigel Godrich
. Recording began in 2003 concurrently with Guero
, but the album was not completed until 2006. Rolling Stone
magazine has named it the 24th best album of 2006, while Spin
magazine ranked it number 10 on their 40 Best Albums of 2006.
The album reached #7 on the US's Billboard 200
, #6 in Canada and #31 on Australia's ARIA Chart
. As of July 2008, The Information has sold 434,000 copies in the United States.
record" before they began work on the album. "And in a way it is, and in a way it isn't. It has hip-hop songs, and my previous work with him was Mutations and Sea Change, these sort of introspective records, and so this new one is sort of bringing those two worlds together."
In an interview with the BBC
, Beck said the album had been "painful" to make:
The first single in North America was "Nausea
," which officially went to radio on September 5, 2006.
The first single in the UK was "Cellphone's Dead", with an official video
directed by Michel Gondry
. "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.
On February 27, 2007, a "deluxe version" of the album was released. It contained the original album plus three songs only available internationally, six remixes, a complete printing of the lyrics, a DVD with all the studio-released videos plus bonus non-studio-released videos of "Nausea" and "Cellphone's Dead", and four different sticker sheets for the album cover.
of specially filmed music video
s, one for each track on the record. In the Wired interview, Beck explained the making of these videos, which would also appear on video-sharing site YouTube
:
magazine 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." 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
.
There is also a striking resemblance to the cover of a Paul Simon
1973 record called There Goes Rhymin' Simon
. Although it has never been comfirmed, that Beck's cover art for The Information was inspired by the 1973 cover art, it owns a deep similarity, the Background and the weird images. Of course the Paul Simon release wasn't a sticker edition.
, except track 5, 12, 14 and 15 written by Beck and Nigel Godrich
.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
musician Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, released in October 2006 on Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
. It was produced and mixed by longtime Beck collaborator Nigel Godrich
Nigel Godrich
Nigel Godrich, , is a recording engineer, record producer and musician. He is best known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead and is sometimes referred to as the "sixth member" of the band...
. Recording began in 2003 concurrently with Guero
Guero
Guero is the ninth studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, first released in March 2005 on Interscope Records. It debuted on Billboard's Top 200 Album chart at #2 , and in the UK at #15 . To date, this is Beck's highest charting CD...
, but the album was not completed until 2006. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine has named it the 24th best album of 2006, while Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine ranked it number 10 on their 40 Best Albums of 2006.
The album reached #7 on the US's Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, #6 in Canada and #31 on Australia's ARIA Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. As of July 2008, The Information has sold 434,000 copies in the United States.
Release history
Before its release, Beck said the album was not a "stripped down" record, in contrast with his previous Godrich collaborations Mutations and Sea Change. According to Beck, "Nigel [Godrich] said he wanted to do a hip-hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
record" before they began work on the album. "And in a way it is, and in a way it isn't. It has hip-hop songs, and my previous work with him was Mutations and Sea Change, these sort of introspective records, and so this new one is sort of bringing those two worlds together."
In an interview with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, Beck said the album had been "painful" to make:
The first single in North America was "Nausea
Nausea (song)
"Nausea" is the first single from Beck's 2006 album The Information. It reached number thirteen on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.The song appears in the 2010 film Repo Men....
," which officially went to radio on September 5, 2006.
The first single in the UK was "Cellphone's Dead", with an official video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
directed by Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry is an Academy Award winning filmmaker, whose works include being a commercial director, music video director, and a screenwriter. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène. - Life and career :...
. "Think I'm In Love" went to US radio as the second and final single and became a Modern Rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
and Triple A radio hit, garnering renewed interest in The Information.
On February 27, 2007, a "deluxe version" of the album was released. It contained the original album plus three songs only available internationally, six remixes, a complete printing of the lyrics, a DVD with all the studio-released videos plus bonus non-studio-released videos of "Nausea" and "Cellphone's Dead", and four different sticker sheets for the album cover.
Music videos
Some copies of the album include a bonus DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of specially filmed music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s, one for each track on the record. In the Wired interview, Beck explained the making of these videos, which would also appear on video-sharing site YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
:
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 WiredWired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
magazine 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." 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
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
There is also a striking resemblance to the cover of a Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
1973 record called There Goes Rhymin' Simon
There Goes Rhymin' Simon
There Goes Rhymin' Simon is the third solo studio album by American musician Paul Simon rush-released on May 5, 1973. It contains songs covering several styles and genres, such as gospel and dixieland . It received two nominations at the Grammy Awards of 1974, including Best Male Pop Vocal...
. Although it has never been comfirmed, that Beck's cover art for The Information was inspired by the 1973 cover art, it owns a deep similarity, the Background and the weird images. Of course the Paul Simon release wasn't a sticker edition.
Track listing
All songs written by BeckBeck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, except track 5, 12, 14 and 15 written by Beck and Nigel Godrich
Nigel Godrich
Nigel Godrich, , is a recording engineer, record producer and musician. He is best known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead and is sometimes referred to as the "sixth member" of the band...
.
- "Elevator Music" – 3:38
- "Think I'm in LoveThink I'm in Love (Beck song)"Think I'm in Love" is a song by Beck from his seventh major-label studio album, The Information. It was issued as the third single from the album. The single charted at #22 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart....
" – 3:20 - "Cellphone's DeadCellphone's Dead"Cellphone's Dead" is a song and single by Beck on The Information.-Musical structure:The song starts with acoustic guitars and percussion. Then a bass guitar riff comes in and Beck starts rapping. The acoustic guitar and percussion section comes back in for the chorus. There is a piano melody...
" – 4:46 - "Strange Apparition" – 3:48
- "Soldier Jane" – 3:59
- "NauseaNausea (song)"Nausea" is the first single from Beck's 2006 album The Information. It reached number thirteen on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.The song appears in the 2010 film Repo Men....
" – 2:55 - "New Round" – 3:26
- "Dark Star" – 3:45
- "We Dance Alone" – 3:57
- "No Complaints" – 3:00
- "1000 BPM" – 2:32
- "Motorcade" – 4:15
- "The Information" – 3:46
- "Movie Theme" – 3:53
- "The Horrible Fanfare/Landslide/Exoskeleton" – 10:36
- The Horrible Fanfare section uses a sample of Cellphone's Dead.
- The Landslide section uses a sample from the song Requiem pour un con, by the French singer Serge GainsbourgSerge GainsbourgSerge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
. - The Exoskeleton section contains dialogue spoken by Dave EggersDave EggersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
and Spike JonzeSpike JonzeSpike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
.
Disc one
- "Elevator Music" – 3:38
- "Think I'm in Love" – 3:20
- "Cellphone's DeadCellphone's Dead"Cellphone's Dead" is a song and single by Beck on The Information.-Musical structure:The song starts with acoustic guitars and percussion. Then a bass guitar riff comes in and Beck starts rapping. The acoustic guitar and percussion section comes back in for the chorus. There is a piano melody...
" – 4:46 - "Strange Apparition" – 3:48
- "Soldier Jane" – 3:59
- "NauseaNausea (song)"Nausea" is the first single from Beck's 2006 album The Information. It reached number thirteen on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.The song appears in the 2010 film Repo Men....
" – 2:54 - "Dark Star" – 3:45
- "Movie Theme" – 3:53
- "We Dance Alone" – 3:57
- "No Complaints" – 3:00
- "1000BPM" – 2:30
- "Motorcade" – 4:15
- "The Information" – 3:46
- "New Round" – 3:26
- "The Horrible Fanfare/Landslide/Exoskeleton" – 10:36
- "Inside Out" – 3:43
- "This Girl That I Know" – 2:43
- "O Menina" – 2:09
Disc two
- "Cellphone's Dead" (Ellen Allien remix) – 5:37
- "Nausea" (Bumblebeez remix) – 2:28
- "Dark Star" (David Andrew Sitek remix) – 4:08
- "Nausea" (The Chap remix) – 3:55
- "Cellphone's Dead" (Jamie Lidell Limited Minutes remix) – 4:32
- "Cellphone's Dead" (Ricardo Villalobos remix) – 14:38
Disc Three
The third disc of the album contains some of Beck's homemade music videos.http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HIVO64Personnel
- BeckBeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, melodicaMelodicaThe melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, programming, effects, scratching, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, kalimba, percussion, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, drum effects, glockenspielGlockenspielA glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
, Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on... - Nigel GodrichNigel GodrichNigel Godrich, , is a recording engineer, record producer and musician. He is best known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead and is sometimes referred to as the "sixth member" of the band...
– production, mixing, keyboards, programming, effects, scratching, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, percussion, background vocals, Speak 'n SpellSpeak & Spell (toy)The Speak & Spell line is a series of electronic handheld educational toys created by Texas Instruments that consist of a speech synthesizer, a keyboard, and a receptor slot to receive one of a collection of ROM game library modules...
, whistle, Tote-A-Tune, kalimba, drums, Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on... - Jason FalknerJason FalknerJason Falkner is an American pop and rock musician. Active since the late 1980s, he has performed with several bands. In addition to releasing several albums as a solo artist, he is a prolific session musician and producer who has contributed to dozens of other recordings by other bands and...
– bass guitars, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, African bass, Moog synthesizerMoog synthesizerMoog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
bass, background vocals, percussion, drums - James GadsonJames GadsonJames Gadson is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B music....
– drums, percussion, background vocals - Joey WaronkerJoey WaronkerJoseph "Joey" Waronker is an American drummer and music producer. He is the son of record producer Lenny Waronker and singer/actress Donna Loren; his younger sister is musician Anna Waronker; and his grandfather is record executive and professional violinist Simon Waronker. He has three other...
– drums, percussion, background vocals - Smokey Hormel – intro sounds
- Justin Meldal-JohnsenJustin Meldal-JohnsenJustin Meldal-Johnsen is an American musician and bassist, best known for his work with Grammy Award-winning artist Beck. He served as the touring bassist for Nine Inch Nails during their final tours.-Recording career:...
– intro sounds - Roger Manning Jr.Roger Joseph Manning Jr.Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. is an American keyboard player and founding member of bands Jellyfish, Imperial Drag, The Moog Cookbook, and TV Eyes. He has also spent several years as an integral member of Beck's backing band, and made contributions to several recordings by the band Air. He is...
– intro sounds - Alex AcuñaAlex AcuñaAlejandro Neciosup Acuña aka Alex Acuña is a Peruvian drummer and percussionist, in the Afro-Cuban jazz style.Born in Pativilca, Peru, Acuña played in local bands from the age of ten, and moved to Lima as a teenager. At the age of eighteen he joined the band of Perez Prado, and in 1967 he moved...
– percussion, background vocals - Harvey MasonHarvey MasonHarvey William Mason is an American jazz drummer. He has worked with many jazz and fusion artists such as Bob James, The Brecker Brothers, Lee Ritenour, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and almost all the Mizell Brothers productions with Donald Byrd, Johnny Hammond, Bobbi Humphrey and Gary Bartz...
– drums - Brian LeBartonBrian LeBartonBrian Manuel LeBarton is a keyboardist, composer, and electronic musician from Los Angeles, California.-Work with Beck:Brian LeBarton is the keyboardist and musical director for Beck...
– Speak 'n SpellSpeak & Spell (toy)The Speak & Spell line is a series of electronic handheld educational toys created by Texas Instruments that consist of a speech synthesizer, a keyboard, and a receptor slot to receive one of a collection of ROM game library modules... - Justin StanleyJustin StanleyJustin Stanley is an Australian born, initially Sydney based musician/producer who has worked with The Vines, Beck, Holidays On Ice, Daniel Merriweather and others. He is the lead guitarist of Wounded Cougar...
– electric guitar, acoustic guitar, background vocals, percussion, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening... - Greg KurstinGreg KurstinGregory Allen "Greg" Kurstin is an award-winning American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In 2009 Kurstin received a Grammy Award nomination for Producer of the Year. That same year he won three Ivor Novello awards for his work with Lily Allen, including Songwriters of the Year for "The Fear"...
– keyboards, berimbauBerimbauThe berimbau is a single-string percussion instrument, a musical bow, from Brazil. The berimbau's origins are not entirely clear, but there is not much doubt about its African origin, as no Indigenous Brazilian or European people use musical bows, and very similar instruments are played in the...
, piano, bass keyboard, synthesizer, background vocals, acoustic guitar - DJ Z-TripDJ Z-TripZach Sciacca, better known as Z-Trip, is an American DJ and producer. He is best known as a pioneer of the mashup movement.A Phoenix, Arizona native, who now resides in Los Angeles, California, he was known early in his career for performing with the Bombshelter DJs . He became widely known when...
– scratching - Stevie Black – celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, percussion, background vocals - Lucia Ribisi – girl on "Cellphone's Dead"
- Cosimo Hansen – talking
- Sean Davis – bass guitars
- Rachel ShelleyRachel ShelleyRachel Shelley is an English actress and model. She was born in Swindon. , Los Angeles Daily News and graduated from Sheffield University with a B.A...
– shipping forecast - David Campbell – string arrangements, conductor
- Suzie Katayama – strings
- Charlie BisharatCharlie BisharatCharlie Bisharat is a Grammy-winning violinistwho has extensively toured and/or recorded with numerous artists. He was a member of Shadowfax who won a Grammy in 1988 for Best New Age Performance for Folksongs for a Nuclear Village...
– strings - Spike JonzeSpike JonzeSpike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
– talking on "Exoskeleton" - Dave EggersDave EggersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
– talking on "Exoskeleton"
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Cria A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically... |
Gold | 50,000 |
External links
- Video clips for The Information at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....