Sea Change
Encyclopedia
Sea Change is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock
artist Beck
, released on September 24, 2002. Recorded over a two month period at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles
with producer Nigel Godrich
, the record includes themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude and loneliness. "Lost Cause
" and "Guess I'm Doing Fine
" were released as singles
, respectively.
For the record, much of Beck's trademark recondite, ironic lyrics were replaced by more sincere, simpler lyrical content. He also eschewed the heavy sampling of his previous albums for real, live instrumentation. In interviews, Beck cited the breakup with his longtime girlfriend as the major influence on the album. Sea Change, which itself is an idiom for broad transformation, peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200
, later being certified gold
in March 2005 by the Recording Industry Association of America
.
The album received overwhelmingly positive critical acclaim upon release, with several reviews regarding it as Beck's magnum opus
. Reviewers parsed the change in style from the sonically experimental to simple and emotional. Over time, the album has become highly regarded as one of the best albums of the 2000s.
(1999), Beck and his girlfriend of nine years and fiancée, stylist Leigh Limon, ended their relationship. Three weeks before Beck's 30th birthday, he discovered Limon had been cheating on him with a member of Los Angeles
-based band Whiskey Biscuit. Beck lapsed into a period of melancholy and introspection, during which he wrote the bleak, acoustic-based tracks later found on Sea Change. He wrote most of the album's 12 songs in one week, but then shelved them. "Songs sit in my head for a while," he told Time
in 2002. "I have dozens in there, songs from eight years ago that I've written but never recorded. After a while, I just sort of decide to record them." Beck also strayed from the songs to keep from talking about his personal life, as well as to focus on music and "not really strew my baggage across the public lobby." Eventually, however, he found the songs speak to an experience (a relationship breakup
) that is common, and that it would not seem self-indulgent to record them. In 2001, Beck drifted back to the songs and called his frequent producer, Nigel Godrich
.
Hansen intended to record the album in late 2001, but due to the September 11 attacks, "it took a while for people to line-up." Before working with Godrich, Beck recorded tracks with Dan "The Automator" Nakamura
in January 2002 in preparation for the new record, but eventually no songs from those sessions were present on Sea Change. Many songs from Sea Change were also performed live before the album's recording, such as "Lost Cause" and "Evil Things", the latter of which was a demo that was not recorded due to loss of time. Regarding the performances of more personal tracks in days before Sea Change, Beck explained in 2008 interview that "Those were the kinds of songs I would play in the middle of the show. I'd try to throw a couple of them in. I just remember the audience kind of disregarding them, or moshing, or throwing things. Just because those were the kinds of persons that came out."
, drummer James Gadson
, and guitarist Jason Falkner
, as well as longtime musical partners, keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning Jr.
, bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen
, drummer Joey Waronker
, guitarist Smokey Hormel, and cellist Suzie Katayama. In addition, Beck's father, David Campbell, provided string arrangements. Joey Waronker left mid-way through recording for Hawaii; James Gadson filled in for him the remaining days.
Recording began as soon as the band entered Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles
on March 6, 2002. Much of Sea Change was recorded live, with extra effects (including bells and strings) added later. In order to capture the immediacy of the material, the artists worked quickly and spontaneously, frequently laying second takes of songs to disc. During production, Beck realized his singing voice had gotten significantly deeper. "Before we recorded," said Godrich, "We listened to Mutations, and his voice sounded like Mickey Mouse
. His range has dropped. Now when he opens his mouth, a canyonesque vibration comes out. It's quite remarkable. He has amazing tone."
By the end of production, the group of musicians had to work faster than they intended. "We kind of ran out of time at the end," said Beck. "Joni Mitchell
was coming in to do her record
, but she works very civilized and she takes the weekend off, so we were sneaking in on the weekends and trying to finish." Eventually, recording lasted a little over three weeks and the album was mixed from there on, which was completed May 7. At one session, Hansen began strumming his 1995 single "It's All in Your Mind
" randomly before beginning a new song, and Godrich became ecstatic, remarking "We have to do that." The strikingly different re-recorded version appears on Sea Change as an "evolved song", according to Hansen.
"Ship in a Bottle" was the only completed track left off the record. "That was the super-pop song of the record," said Beck in 2002 interview. "I think it was a little too corny. I mean, it was heartfelt, but since then people have been telling me they really liked it. I think we felt that the album was so long already. I don't know what the fate of that will be." Eventually, "Ship in a Bottle" was released on the Japanese version of Sea Change and later remasters.
and previous, sample-based recordings, as well as Beck's desire to give each album an identity. Origins for the album's unique, passionate sound had been building up for years, according to Beck in a 2002 interview: "There are threads of what I've done before. If you listen to my earlier B- sides, you'll hear this record. I have been wanting to make this record for years," he explained. "I've been edging towards the idea, and so it just took a while." Despite initial difficulty upon deciding on the name, the title originates from "Little One", the eleventh track on the album: "Drown, drown / Sailors run aground / In a sea change nothing is safe".
The recordings from Sea Change sessions include themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude and loneliness. Although often compared to Mutations, Beck himself regarded the album, in a 2008 interview, as more representative of his 1994 album One Foot in the Grave
and "more representative of what I was doing [in the early days]."
chain, shortly before the release of Sea Change. "If you're used to the 'two turntables and a microphone
' Beck, then this isn't the record for you. I think it'll go gold, but it'll struggle beyond gold." The album's release date was announced May 31, 2002. In addition, the album's initial track listing was also released, featuring songs in a very different order than their final version, as well as including the track "Ship in a Bottle". The album's title was announced in August 2002. In promotion of the record, new tracks from the record were released in chronological order by track listing weekly through Beck's website in July and August, 2002.
Sea Change was released September 24, 2002.
magazine's highest rating of five stars, the other being Bruce Springsteen
's The Rising
. The magazine went on to call it the best album of 2002. The next year, the album was ranked number 440 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
. It was ranked number 17 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best albums of the 00s.
Sea Change peaked at #8 on Billboard's Top 200 chart and was eventually certified gold
in March 2005. In the UK charts
, it peaked at #20. As of July 2008, Sea Change has sold 680,000 copies in the United States.
It is said that the album sound concept is inspired by the sound of Serge Gainsbourg
's album Histoire de Melody Nelson
. Beck would later produce an album for, and record with, Gainsbourg's daughter Charlotte
. Critics have also compared the acoustic and relaxed melodies of Sea Change to the works of British singer-songwriter Nick Drake
and Bob Dylan's 1975 album Blood on the Tracks
.
The album was re-released in a remastered form by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
in June 2009.
at the August 11 show, which MTV News described as getting "a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd of college kids and beatniks." A larger tour was planned for October 2002, with The Flaming Lips
as opening band, as well as Beck's backing band. The tour began in October and ended in November 2002.
During the touring for Sea Change, Beck varied the set list and experimented with song structures, changing the arrangements each night as a way to break away from predictability. True to Beck's desire for re-interpretation of songs, he dismissed both his longtime touring band and the group he worked with for Sea Change shortly before touring began. Between new and old original songs at each concert, Beck performed many improvisational covers, such as "No Expectations
" by The Rolling Stones
, Big Star
's "Kangaroo
", The Zombies
' "Beechwood Park
" and "Sunday Morning
", by The Velvet Underground
. Described as "breathtaking" by David Fricke
of Rolling Stone
, Fricke also expanded upon his statements: "It was a perfect fit — songs about commitment and loss, written and sung by the wounded."
on the CD and the booklet. There were also different hidden messages (lyrical snippets) written under each version's CD tray.
The original cover art for the album was used as an effigy in the music video for lead single "Lost Cause
".
Musicians
Production
Artwork
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...
artist Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, released on September 24, 2002. Recorded over a two month period at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with producer 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...
, the record includes themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude and loneliness. "Lost Cause
Lost Cause (song)
"Lost Cause" is the fifth song by Beck from his fifth major-label studio album, Sea Change. It was released as a promo single.-Music video:...
" and "Guess I'm Doing Fine
Guess I'm Doing Fine
"Guess I'm Doing Fine" is a single by Beck from his fifth major-label album, the critically acclaimed Sea Change. It was a successful single and is one of Beck's better known songs.-Lyrical content:...
" were released as singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, respectively.
For the record, much of Beck's trademark recondite, ironic lyrics were replaced by more sincere, simpler lyrical content. He also eschewed the heavy sampling of his previous albums for real, live instrumentation. In interviews, Beck cited the breakup with his longtime girlfriend as the major influence on the album. Sea Change, which itself is an idiom for broad transformation, peaked at number 8 on the 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...
, later being certified gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in March 2005 by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
.
The album received overwhelmingly positive critical acclaim upon release, with several reviews regarding it as Beck's magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
. Reviewers parsed the change in style from the sonically experimental to simple and emotional. Over time, the album has become highly regarded as one of the best albums of the 2000s.
Background
Upon completion of touring for his previous effort, Midnite VulturesMidnite Vultures
Midnite Vultures is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, released in November 1999 by Geffen Records...
(1999), Beck and his girlfriend of nine years and fiancée, stylist Leigh Limon, ended their relationship. Three weeks before Beck's 30th birthday, he discovered Limon had been cheating on him with a member of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based band Whiskey Biscuit. Beck lapsed into a period of melancholy and introspection, during which he wrote the bleak, acoustic-based tracks later found on Sea Change. He wrote most of the album's 12 songs in one week, but then shelved them. "Songs sit in my head for a while," he told Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
in 2002. "I have dozens in there, songs from eight years ago that I've written but never recorded. After a while, I just sort of decide to record them." Beck also strayed from the songs to keep from talking about his personal life, as well as to focus on music and "not really strew my baggage across the public lobby." Eventually, however, he found the songs speak to an experience (a relationship breakup
Relationship breakup
A relationship breakup, often referred to simply as a breakup, is the termination of a usually intimate relationship by any means other than death. The act is commonly termed "dumping [someone]" in slang when it is initiated by one partner...
) that is common, and that it would not seem self-indulgent to record them. In 2001, Beck drifted back to the songs and called his frequent producer, 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...
.
Hansen intended to record the album in late 2001, but due to the September 11 attacks, "it took a while for people to line-up." Before working with Godrich, Beck recorded tracks with Dan "The Automator" Nakamura
Dan the Automator
Daniel M. Nakamura , better known by the stage name Dan the Automator, is a Japanese-American hip hop producer. He founded the record label 75 Ark, which was distributed by Tommy Boy Records during its short existence....
in January 2002 in preparation for the new record, but eventually no songs from those sessions were present on Sea Change. Many songs from Sea Change were also performed live before the album's recording, such as "Lost Cause" and "Evil Things", the latter of which was a demo that was not recorded due to loss of time. Regarding the performances of more personal tracks in days before Sea Change, Beck explained in 2008 interview that "Those were the kinds of songs I would play in the middle of the show. I'd try to throw a couple of them in. I just remember the audience kind of disregarding them, or moshing, or throwing things. Just because those were the kinds of persons that came out."
Recording and production
Beck and his group of musicians entered the studio with intentions to make the record an acoustic-based offering, in the vein of those for his emotive 1998 disc Mutations. Early in the recording process, Beck told Godrich that he was hoping to record one track per day, similar to the process of Mutations. However, each song ended up taking at least two days to record, due to orchestral arrangements. Musical partners in the studio included multi-instrumentalist Jon BrionJon Brion
Jon Brion is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and record producer.-Early life:...
, drummer James Gadson
James Gadson
James 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....
, and guitarist Jason Falkner
Jason Falkner
Jason 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...
, as well as longtime musical partners, keyboardist Roger Joseph 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...
, bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen
Justin Meldal-Johnsen
Justin 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:...
, drummer Joey Waronker
Joey Waronker
Joseph "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...
, guitarist Smokey Hormel, and cellist Suzie Katayama. In addition, Beck's father, David Campbell, provided string arrangements. Joey Waronker left mid-way through recording for Hawaii; James Gadson filled in for him the remaining days.
Recording began as soon as the band entered Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on March 6, 2002. Much of Sea Change was recorded live, with extra effects (including bells and strings) added later. In order to capture the immediacy of the material, the artists worked quickly and spontaneously, frequently laying second takes of songs to disc. During production, Beck realized his singing voice had gotten significantly deeper. "Before we recorded," said Godrich, "We listened to Mutations, and his voice sounded like Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
. His range has dropped. Now when he opens his mouth, a canyonesque vibration comes out. It's quite remarkable. He has amazing tone."
By the end of production, the group of musicians had to work faster than they intended. "We kind of ran out of time at the end," said Beck. "Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
was coming in to do her record
Travelogue (Joni Mitchell album)
Travelogue is a 2002 double album by Joni Mitchell featuring orchestral re-recordings of songs from throughout her career. It is the follow-up to 2000's Both Sides Now which had a similar format...
, but she works very civilized and she takes the weekend off, so we were sneaking in on the weekends and trying to finish." Eventually, recording lasted a little over three weeks and the album was mixed from there on, which was completed May 7. At one session, Hansen began strumming his 1995 single "It's All in Your Mind
It's All in Your Mind
"It's All in Your Mind" is the seventh track on Beck's 2002 album, Sea Change. It is perhaps one of the simplest songs on the album lyrically; many phrases are repeated, with 'I wanted to be' iterated nine times....
" randomly before beginning a new song, and Godrich became ecstatic, remarking "We have to do that." The strikingly different re-recorded version appears on Sea Change as an "evolved song", according to Hansen.
"Ship in a Bottle" was the only completed track left off the record. "That was the super-pop song of the record," said Beck in 2002 interview. "I think it was a little too corny. I mean, it was heartfelt, but since then people have been telling me they really liked it. I think we felt that the album was so long already. I don't know what the fate of that will be." Eventually, "Ship in a Bottle" was released on the Japanese version of Sea Change and later remasters.
Music
Sea Change is based around a musical suite of reflective, acoustic-based songs that showcase Beck's singer-songwriter side. The term sea change is defined as a broad transformation, which reflects the departure in style from both Beck's previous effort Midnite VulturesMidnite Vultures
Midnite Vultures is the seventh studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, released in November 1999 by Geffen Records...
and previous, sample-based recordings, as well as Beck's desire to give each album an identity. Origins for the album's unique, passionate sound had been building up for years, according to Beck in a 2002 interview: "There are threads of what I've done before. If you listen to my earlier B- sides, you'll hear this record. I have been wanting to make this record for years," he explained. "I've been edging towards the idea, and so it just took a while." Despite initial difficulty upon deciding on the name, the title originates from "Little One", the eleventh track on the album: "Drown, drown / Sailors run aground / In a sea change nothing is safe".
The recordings from Sea Change sessions include themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude and loneliness. Although often compared to Mutations, Beck himself regarded the album, in a 2008 interview, as more representative of his 1994 album One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series written by David Renwick. The show ran for six series, including seven Christmas specials, two Comic Relief specials, over an eleven year period, from early 1990 to late 2000...
and "more representative of what I was doing [in the early days]."
Promotion and release
Before release, retailers worried about the commercial impact of Sea Change due to its sound. Analysts predicted the album would not receive heavy radio support, noting that Beck's reputation, critical acclaim and the possibility of multiple Grammy nominations might offset an uncommercial sound. "It's a really beautiful album, but it's going to appeal to a different audience than he's had before," said Vince Szydlowski, senior director of product for the Virgin MegastoreVirgin Megastore
Virgin Megastores is an international chain of record shops, founded by Sir Richard Branson on London's Oxford Street in early 1971. Virgin Megastores are best described today as entertainment retailers....
chain, shortly before the release of Sea Change. "If you're used to the 'two turntables and a microphone
Where It's At
"Where It's At" is the first single from Beck's 1996 album, Odelay. Beck wrote the song in 1995. He premiered it at Lollapalooza 1995, in a version very similar to its incarnation on Odelay...
' Beck, then this isn't the record for you. I think it'll go gold, but it'll struggle beyond gold." The album's release date was announced May 31, 2002. In addition, the album's initial track listing was also released, featuring songs in a very different order than their final version, as well as including the track "Ship in a Bottle". The album's title was announced in August 2002. In promotion of the record, new tracks from the record were released in chronological order by track listing weekly through Beck's website in July and August, 2002.
Sea Change was released September 24, 2002.
Reception
In 2002, Sea Change was one of only two albums to receive Rolling StoneRolling 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's highest rating of five stars, the other being Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's The Rising
The Rising (album)
The Rising is the 12th studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, released in 2002 on Columbia Records. In addition to being Springsteen's first studio album in seven years, it was also his first with the E Street Band in 18 years...
. The magazine went on to call it the best album of 2002. The next year, the album was ranked number 440 on 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's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
. It was ranked number 17 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best albums of the 00s.
Sea Change peaked at #8 on Billboard's Top 200 chart and was eventually certified gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in March 2005. In the UK charts
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...
, it peaked at #20. As of July 2008, Sea Change has sold 680,000 copies in the United States.
It is said that the album sound concept is inspired by the sound of Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge 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...
's album Histoire de Melody Nelson
Histoire de Melody Nelson
Histoire de Melody Nelson is a 1971 concept album by French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. The Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical plot involves the middle-aged Gainsbourg unintentionally colliding his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost into teenage nymphet Melody Nelson's bicycle, and the subsequent...
. Beck would later produce an album for, and record with, Gainsbourg's daughter Charlotte
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg is an Anglo-French actress and singer. After releasing an album with her father at the age of fifteen, more than twenty years passed before she released two albums as an adult to commercial and critical success...
. Critics have also compared the acoustic and relaxed melodies of Sea Change to the works of British singer-songwriter Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
and Bob Dylan's 1975 album Blood on the Tracks
Blood on the Tracks
Blood on the Tracks is Bob Dylan's 15th studio album, released by Columbia Records in January 1975. The album marked Dylan's return to Columbia after a two-album stint with Asylum Records....
.
The album was re-released in a remastered form by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is a company known as an innovator in the production of audiophile-quality sound recordings. All releases are advertised as being produced from the first-generation analog master recordings, and using proprietary technology, which MFSL claims allows for improved sound...
in June 2009.
Sea Change touring
Sea Change yielded many tours in support, the first of which began as a low-key, theatre-based acoustic tour in August 2002. Each show gave a playful, energetic atmosphere, with Beck telling jokes in between performances, and a surprise appearance by Jack White of The White StripesThe White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
at the August 11 show, which MTV News described as getting "a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd of college kids and beatniks." A larger tour was planned for October 2002, with The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
as opening band, as well as Beck's backing band. The tour began in October and ended in November 2002.
During the touring for Sea Change, Beck varied the set list and experimented with song structures, changing the arrangements each night as a way to break away from predictability. True to Beck's desire for re-interpretation of songs, he dismissed both his longtime touring band and the group he worked with for Sea Change shortly before touring began. Between new and old original songs at each concert, Beck performed many improvisational covers, such as "No Expectations
No Expectations
"No Expectations" is a song by the British rock and roll band The Rolling Stones featured on their 1968 album Beggars Banquet. It was first released as the B-side of the "Street Fighting Man" single in August 1968...
" by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Big Star
Big Star
Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1971 by Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel. The group broke up in 1974, but reorganized with a new line-up nearly 20 years later...
's "Kangaroo
Third/Sister Lovers
Third, also issued as Sister Lovers, is the third rock album by American power pop group Big Star, recorded in 1974 and eventually released in 1978 by PVC Records...
", The Zombies
The Zombies
The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
' "Beechwood Park
Odessey and Oracle
Odessey and Oracle is the third studio album by British pop rock band The Zombies, released on 19 April 1968 by Date Records. It is among the most critically acclaimed albums of popular music.-Album information:...
" and "Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning (The Velvet Underground song)
"Sunday Morning" is a song by The Velvet Underground. It is the opening track on their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. It was also released as a single in 1966 with "Femme Fatale".-Recording:...
", by The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
. Described as "breathtaking" by David Fricke
David Fricke
David Fricke is a senior editor at Rolling Stone magazine, where he writes predominantly on rock music. In the 1990s, he was managing editor before stepping down.-Background:David Fricke is a graduate of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
of 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...
, Fricke also expanded upon his statements: "It was a perfect fit — songs about commitment and loss, written and sung by the wounded."
Artwork
Sea Change was released with four different album covers, each version containing distinct digital artwork by Jeremy BlakeJeremy Blake
Jeremy Blake was an American digital artist and painter. His work included projected DVD installations, Type C prints, and collaborative film projects.-Biography:...
on the CD and the booklet. There were also different hidden messages (lyrical snippets) written under each version's CD tray.
The original cover art for the album was used as an effigy in the music video for lead single "Lost Cause
Lost Cause (song)
"Lost Cause" is the fifth song by Beck from his fifth major-label studio album, Sea Change. It was released as a promo single.-Music video:...
".
Track listing
Bonus tracks
Personnel
Credits for Sea Change adapted from Allmusic.Musicians
- Beck Hansen – vocals, acoustic guitar, background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, 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...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, synthSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, 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...
, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, stringString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, wurlitzerWurlitzerThe Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes.... - Smokey Hormel – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, acoustic slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
, percussion, background vocals, bamboo saxophone, megamouth, piano, tape recorderTape recorderAn audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage... - 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:...
– electric bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, upright bass, percussion, background vocals, glockenspiel, electric guitar, piano - Roger Joseph 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...
– clavinetClavinetA Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
, synth, background vocals, percussion, piano, wurlitzer, banjo, Indian banjo, glockenspiel, harmonium - 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...
– drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, percussion, background vocals, beatbox 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 - 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...
– electric guitar, background vocals, percussion - David Campbell – string arrangement, conductingConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
- 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...
– keyboards, percussion, string treatment, synth - Suzie Katayama – 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...
Production
- 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...
– productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Paul Bishow – executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
- Darrell Thorp – assistant engineering
- Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
– masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced... - Elliot Scheiner – SACDSuper Audio CDSuper Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...
/DVD-ADVD-AudioDVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio is not intended to be a video delivery format and is not the same as video DVDs containing concert films or music videos....
surround soundSurround soundSurround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
mix
Artwork
- Autumn de WildeAutumn de WildeAutumn de Wilde is an American photographer best known for her portraiture and commercial work photography of musicians.-Early life:...
– cover photo(s) - Jeremy BlakeJeremy BlakeJeremy Blake was an American digital artist and painter. His work included projected DVD installations, Type C prints, and collaborative film projects.-Biography:...
– artwork - Kevin Reagan, Beck – art direction, design
- Ekaterina Kenney – creative director
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World | September 24, 2002 | Geffen Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:... |
Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
— | |
| Argentina | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
493393-2 | |||
| Australia | 4933932-A | ||||
| Canada | B00006F7S4 | ||||
| Europe | 493 393-2 | ||||
| Japan | 493 393-2 | ||||
| United Kingdom | B00006F7S4 | ||||
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
069493393 | ||||
| LP LP record The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... |
B0004372-01 | ||||
| SACD Super Audio CD Super Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard... |
069493537 2 | ||||
| December 16, 2003 | DVD-A DVD-Audio DVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio is not intended to be a video delivery format and is not the same as video DVDs containing concert films or music videos.... |
B0001840-19 | |||
| June 30, 2009 | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is a company known as an innovator in the production of audiophile-quality sound recordings. All releases are advertised as being produced from the first-generation analog master recordings, and using proprietary technology, which MFSL claims allows for improved sound... |
CD | UDCD 780 | ||
| LP | MFSL 2-308 |