Bachelor No. 2
Encyclopedia
Bachelor No. 2 is the third studio album by American
singer-songwriter
Aimee Mann
, released in 2000. Its full title is Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo. The album is notable for the fact that Mann was initially without a record company and sold the album through her website, but the album went on to gain a worldwide release and achieve respectable sales. This was aided by the success of the Magnolia soundtrack, for the film of the same name by Paul Thomas Anderson
, with which the album shares material.
The first release was a limited-run 7-song preview EP
which was sold at concerts and via her website.
The full album was slated for a release through Interscope, but they did not think the material had commercial appeal. Mann purchased back the rights for "six figures", and began selling the album online. It was one of the first albums to be successful with only online
sales, eventually selling 25,000 copies from Mann's website. After attracting attention, a distribution deal to traditional retail
channels led to sales topping 200,000.
The Japanese version of the album contains bonus material, the European version has a different track listing and slightly different material. The album was remastered and released in 2004 by the audiophile record label Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
(MFSL) as a hybrid stereo SACD
and as an LP on 180-gram virgin vinyl.
's list of best albums of the 2000s at number 100.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Aimee Mann
Aimee Mann
Aimee Mann is an American rock singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist.-Early life:Aimee Mann grew up in Bon Air, Virginia, graduated from Open High School in 1978 and attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out to sing with her first punk rock band, the Young Snakes...
, released in 2000. Its full title is Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo. The album is notable for the fact that Mann was initially without a record company and sold the album through her website, but the album went on to gain a worldwide release and achieve respectable sales. This was aided by the success of the Magnolia soundtrack, for the film of the same name by Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He has written and directed five feature films: Hard Eight , Boogie Nights , Magnolia , Punch-Drunk Love and There Will Be Blood...
, with which the album shares material.
The first release was a limited-run 7-song preview EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
which was sold at concerts and via her website.
The full album was slated for a release through Interscope, but they did not think the material had commercial appeal. Mann purchased back the rights for "six figures", and began selling the album online. It was one of the first albums to be successful with only online
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
sales, eventually selling 25,000 copies from Mann's website. After attracting attention, a distribution deal to traditional retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
channels led to sales topping 200,000.
The Japanese version of the album contains bonus material, the European version has a different track listing and slightly different material. The album was remastered and released in 2004 by the audiophile record label 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...
(MFSL) as a hybrid stereo SACD
SACD
SACD, founded as Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques on 7 March 1829, is a French collecting society, undertaking collective rights management for authors...
and as an LP on 180-gram virgin vinyl.
Reception
Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo placed on Slant MagazineSlant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
's list of best albums of the 2000s at number 100.
US and Japan Release
- "How Am I Different" (Jon BrionJon BrionJon Brion is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and record producer.-Early life:...
, Mann) – 5:03 - "Nothing Is Good Enough" – 3:10
- "Red VinesRed Vines (song)"Red Vines" is a 2001 single from Aimee Mann's Bachelor No. 2, released by SuperEgo Records and V2 Records. The song is reportedly about an actual event with director Paul Thomas Anderson waiting in a car....
" – 3:44 - "The Fall of the World's Own Optimist" (Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Mann) – 3:06 - "Satellite" – 4:10
- "Deathly" – 5:37
- "Ghost World" – 3:30
- "Calling It Quits" – 4:09
- "Driving Sideways" (Michael LockwoodMichael LockwoodMichael Dean Lockwood is an American guitarist and producer, a native of Bakersfield, probably most well-known for producing and performing with Lisa Marie Presley and Aimee Mann. Lockwood has also worked with Carly Simon, Fiona Apple, Bijou Phillips, Alana Davis, Ben Taylor, Leona Naess, Susanna...
, Mann) – 3:49 - "Just Like Anyone" – 1:22
- "Susan" – 3:51
- "It Takes All Kinds" (Brion, Mann) – 4:06
- "You Do" – 3:43
- "Save MeSave Me (Aimee Mann song)Save Me is a song written and performed by Aimee Mann for use in the film Magnolia. It appears on the Magnolia soundtrack, which was released on December 7, 1999. The song also appears on the European edition of the album, Bachelor No...
" – 4:35 (Japan bonus track) - "Save Me" (Video) (Japan Bonus track)
European Release
The E.U. Edition of the Bachelor No. 2 CD on V2 Records has a rearranged track listing that removes "Driving Sideways" and adds a new track "Backfire". The Japanese bonus tracks are included.- "How Am I Different" – 5:03
- "Nothing Is Good Enough" – 3:10
- "Red VinesRed Vines (song)"Red Vines" is a 2001 single from Aimee Mann's Bachelor No. 2, released by SuperEgo Records and V2 Records. The song is reportedly about an actual event with director Paul Thomas Anderson waiting in a car....
" – 3:44 - "The Fall of the World's Own Optimist" – 3:06
- "Satellite" – 4:10
- "Deathly" – 5:37
- "Ghost World" – 3:30
- "Calling It Quits" – 4:09
- "Susan" – 3:51
- "Backfire" – 3:25
- "It Takes All Kinds" – 4:06
- "Save Me" – 4:35
- "Just Like Anyone" – 1:22
- "You Do" – 3:43
- "Save Me" (Video)
MFSL Release
The MFSL SACD and LP releases features the same tracklist as the 13 track US CD release.Personnel
- Aimee MannAimee MannAimee Mann is an American rock singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist.-Early life:Aimee Mann grew up in Bon Air, Virginia, graduated from Open High School in 1978 and attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out to sing with her first punk rock band, the Young Snakes...
– acoustic guitarSteel-string acoustic guitarA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, 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....
, 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...
, background vocals, hi-hatHi-hatA hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.- Operation :... - Jon BrionJon BrionJon Brion is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and record producer.-Early life:...
– 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 ....
, 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...
, keyboardKeyboard 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...
, background vocals - Mark Flannagan – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Juliana HatfieldJuliana HatfieldJuliana Hatfield , is an American guitarist/singer-songwriter and author from the Boston area, formerly of the indie rock bands Blake Babies and Some Girls. She currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
– background vocals - Michael HausmanMichael HausmanMichael Hausman is an American percussionist and artist manager in the music industry.He was a former student of Berklee College of Music and played with a Boston band called The Dark before becoming the drummer for the mid-1980s New Wave band 'Til Tuesday; the group's only hit, Voices Carry, is...
– 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...
, tambourine - ButchButch-People:* Delaney Knight , bordons butch woman* Butch Ballard , American jazz drummer* Butch Cassidy , American outlaw* Butch Davis , American football coach* Ronald DeFeo, Jr...
– drums, percussion - Buddy Judge – background vocals, Wurlitzer, drum loopMusic loopIn electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
- Michael LockwoodMichael LockwoodMichael Dean Lockwood is an American guitarist and producer, a native of Bakersfield, probably most well-known for producing and performing with Lisa Marie Presley and Aimee Mann. Lockwood has also worked with Carly Simon, Fiona Apple, Bijou Phillips, Alana Davis, Ben Taylor, Leona Naess, Susanna...
– guitar, electric guitar, keyboard, background vocals, soloist, 12 string electric guitar, 12 string acoustic guitar - Ric Menck – drums
- Brendan O'Brien – bass, 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...
- Michael PennMichael PennMichael Penn is an American singer, songwriter and composer. He is the eldest son of actor/director Leo Penn and actress Eileen Ryan, and the brother of actors Sean Penn and the late Chris Penn.-Career:...
– guitar, electric guitar, background vocals, 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...
, introduction, guitar feedback - Grant Lee Phillips – background vocals
- John Sands – drums
- Clayton Scoble – electric baritone guitarBaritone guitarThe baritone guitar is a variation on the standard guitar, with a longer scale length that allows it to be tuned to a lower range. It first appeared in the classical music realm...
- Benmont TenchBenmont TenchBenjamin Montmorency Tench, III is an American keyboardist best known as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early years:...
– piano, chamberlain - Jennifer Trynin – electric guitar
- Patrick Warren – piano, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, celesteCelestaThe celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, keyboard, chamberlain, soloist
Production
- Producers: Aimee Mann, Jon Brion, Mike Denneen, Buddy Judge, Brendan O'Brien
- Executive producer: Michael Hausman
- Engineers: Mike Denneen, Nick DiDia, Ryan Freeland, S. "Husky" HöskuldsS. Husky HöskuldsS. Husky Höskulds is a Grammy Award–winning audio engineer based in Los Angeles, California.He moved to Los Angeles in 1991, to study audio engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles...
, Dustin Jones, Buddy Judge, Hank Linderman, Brian Scheuble - Assistant engineers: Elijah Bradford, Carlos Castro, Connie Hill, Dustin Jones
- Mixing: David Boucher, Bob Clearmountain, Ryan Freeland
- Mastering: Shawn R. Britton
- Extensive Help with Production: Buddy Judge
- Assistants: David Boucher, Ryan Freeland
- Computers: Buddy Judge
- Drum engineering: Hank Linderman
- Vocal engineer: S. "Husky" Hoskulds
- Drum programming: Michael Hausman, Buddy Judge, Hank Linderman
- Art direction: Aimee Mann, Gail Marowitz
- Design: Aimee Mann, Gail Marowitz
Charts
Album ndash Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Billboard 200 | 134 |
| 2000 | Top Internet Albums | 20 |
| 2001 | Top Independent Albums | 48 |