Beautiful Freak
Encyclopedia
Beautiful Freak is a 1996 album by musician Mark Oliver Everett
, his first using a full band and the name Eels
(in an attempt to get the records in the same general location in the stores as his previous works under the name "E"). It was the first album released worldwide by DreamWorks Records
(whose distributor, Universal Music Group
, later became parent of Everett's previous label Polydor Records
, which later began distributing DreamWorks releases internationally as well), and contains a mix of lo-fi, rock
and pop
songs including the singles "Novocaine for the Soul
" and "Susan's House
". Mark had suggested to have a little girl with big eyes on the cover. The girl that came in to have her picture taken, incidentally looked “like a miniature
Susan”, the subject of the song Susan's House
and a girlfriend of a few years before. "My Beloved Monster" was later used in the soundtrack of Shrek
, and "Beautiful Freak" was used in the soundtrack of Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
and Monsters, Inc.
The April 14, 1997 German release of the album included a bonus live EP from a BBC
recording session
Triple J Hottest 100, 1996 #39
Additional musicians
Production
Mark Oliver Everett
Mark Oliver Everett is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometime drummer of the independent rock band Eels...
, his first using a full band and the name Eels
Eels (band)
Eels is an American indie rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E...
(in an attempt to get the records in the same general location in the stores as his previous works under the name "E"). It was the first album released worldwide by DreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
(whose distributor, Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, later became parent of Everett's previous label Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
, which later began distributing DreamWorks releases internationally as well), and contains a mix of lo-fi, rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
songs including the singles "Novocaine for the Soul
Novocaine for the Soul
"Novocaine for the Soul" is the first single released by American rock band Eels. The track comes from their 1996 debut album, Beautiful Freak. "Novocaine for the Soul" was the first song that gave Eels international success, most notably in the UK, where it hit number 10 in the UK Singles Chart in...
" and "Susan's House
Susan's House
"Susan's House" is the second single released by American rock band Eels from their 1996 debut, Beautiful Freak. It was Eels' biggest hit in the UK, where it reached #9 in the charts in May 1997. In his autobiography, Mark Oliver Everett states that Susan "wasn't a crazy girl, a rare exception at...
". Mark had suggested to have a little girl with big eyes on the cover. The girl that came in to have her picture taken, incidentally looked “like a miniature
Miniature
A miniature is a small-scale reproduction, or a small variation. It may refer to:* Miniature , a small painting in an illuminated text** Persian miniature, a small painting in an illuminated text or album...
Susan”, the subject of the song Susan's House
Susan's House
"Susan's House" is the second single released by American rock band Eels from their 1996 debut, Beautiful Freak. It was Eels' biggest hit in the UK, where it reached #9 in the charts in May 1997. In his autobiography, Mark Oliver Everett states that Susan "wasn't a crazy girl, a rare exception at...
and a girlfriend of a few years before. "My Beloved Monster" was later used in the soundtrack of Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
, and "Beautiful Freak" was used in the soundtrack of Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a 2008 American supernatural superhero film based on the fictional Dark Horse Comics character Hellboy, starring Ron Perlman and Selma Blair. The movie is directed by Guillermo del Toro and is a sequel to the 2004 film Hellboy, which del Toro also directed. Perlman...
and Monsters, Inc.
Monsters, Inc.
Monsters, Inc. is a 2001 American computer-animated film and the fourth feature-length film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. It was directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Lee Unkrich and David Silverman, and written by Jill Culton, Peter Docter, Ralph Eggleston, Dan Gerson, Jeff Pidgeon, Rhett...
Track listing
All songs written by Mark Oliver Everett; except where noted.- "Novocaine for the SoulNovocaine for the Soul"Novocaine for the Soul" is the first single released by American rock band Eels. The track comes from their 1996 debut album, Beautiful Freak. "Novocaine for the Soul" was the first song that gave Eels international success, most notably in the UK, where it hit number 10 in the UK Singles Chart in...
" (Mark Oliver EverettMark Oliver EverettMark Oliver Everett is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometime drummer of the independent rock band Eels...
, Mark Goldenberg)– 3:08 - "Susan's HouseSusan's House"Susan's House" is the second single released by American rock band Eels from their 1996 debut, Beautiful Freak. It was Eels' biggest hit in the UK, where it reached #9 in the charts in May 1997. In his autobiography, Mark Oliver Everett states that Susan "wasn't a crazy girl, a rare exception at...
" (Mark Oliver EverettMark Oliver EverettMark Oliver Everett is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometime drummer of the independent rock band Eels...
, Jim Jacobsen, and Jim WeatherlyJim WeatherlyJames Dexter Weatherly is an American singer-songwriter. Weatherly played quarterback at the University of Mississippi and was an All-American before choosing songwriting over a football career...
) – 3:43 - "Rags to Rags" – 3:53
- "Beautiful Freak" – 3:34
- "Not Ready Yet" (Mark Oliver EverettMark Oliver EverettMark Oliver Everett is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometime drummer of the independent rock band Eels...
, Jon BrionJon BrionJon Brion is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and record producer.-Early life:...
) – 4:46 - "My Beloved Monster" – 2:13
- "Flower" (Mark Oliver EverettMark Oliver EverettMark Oliver Everett is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometime drummer of the independent rock band Eels...
, Jacobsen) – 3:38 - "Guest List" – 3:13
- "Mental" – 4:01
- "Spunky" – 3:11
- "Your Lucky Day in HellYour Lucky Day in Hell"Your Lucky Day in Hell" is a song by American alternative rock band Eels. It was the third and final single to come off their 1996 debut, Beautiful Freak. However, it did less well commercially, stalling at #35 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1997, thereby failing to repeat the Top 10 success...
" (Mark Oliver EverettMark Oliver EverettMark Oliver Everett is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometime drummer of the independent rock band Eels...
, Goldenberg) – 4:28 - "Manchild" (Mark Oliver EverettMark Oliver EverettMark Oliver Everett is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometime drummer of the independent rock band Eels...
, Jill SobuleJill SobuleJill Sobule is an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless...
) – 4:05
Bonus disc
All songs written by Mark Oliver Everett; except where noted.The April 14, 1997 German release of the album included a bonus live EP from a 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...
recording session
- "Novocaine for the Soul" (Mark Oliver EverettMark Oliver EverettMark Oliver Everett is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometime drummer of the independent rock band Eels...
, Mark Goldenberg) – 3:22 - "Manchester Girl" – 3:21
- "My Beloved Mad Monster Party" – 2:34
- "Flower" (Mark Oliver EverettMark Oliver EverettMark Oliver Everett is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometime drummer of the independent rock band Eels...
, Jacobsen) – 3:17
Triple J Hottest 100, 1996 #39
Personnel
Eels- Butch – 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 ....
and backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - EMark Oliver EverettMark Oliver Everett is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometime drummer of the independent rock band Eels...
– 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...
, 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...
, Wurlitzer electric pianoWurlitzer electric pianoWurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York... - Tommy Walter – Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Jon BrionJon BrionJon Brion is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and record producer.-Early life:...
– Guitar, tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, and ChamberlinChamberlinThe Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by Iowa, Wisconsin inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. Various models and versions of these Chamberlin music instruments... - Mark Goldenberg – Guitar and 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...
- Jim Jacobsen – Keyboards and loopsMusic loopIn electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
- Paul EdgePaul EdgePaul Edge is a British DJ and record producer of electronic dance music.-Biography:Edge was born in London and raised in Limerick, Ireland, where from a young age he was immersed in Irish Music...
- turntables
Production
- Jon Brion – 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...
and 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... - Amir DerakhAmir DerakhAmir Davidson is an American musician. He is currently guitar/synthesizer player for the band Orgy and guitar player for the band Dead by Sunrise...
– Engineering - E – Producer, Engineering
- Ann Giordano – Photography
- Mark Goldenberg – Production and engineering
- Jim Jacobsen – Engineering
- Billy KinsleyBilly KinsleyBilly Kinsley was an English musician with The Merseybeats until 1966 . The group disbanded in January 1966 to resurface as a duo called The Merseys...
– 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... - Stephen MarcussenStephen MarcussenStephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer of Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California. Marcussen is one of the most sought-after mastering engineers in the music industry and his expertise has been coveted by a wide range of artists over the years...
– 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... - Francesca Restrepo – Art direction and design
- Rob Seifert – Mixing
- Michael SimpsonMichael Simpson (producer)Michael Simpson, also known as "E.Z. Mike", is one-half of the Los Angeles-based producing duo the Dust Brothers, who co-wrote and produced many critically acclaimed records including the Beastie Boys' "Paul's Boutique" and Beck's "Odelay". He won a Grammy Award for his songwriting & production on...
– Production and mixing - Matt Thorne – Engineer