Eels (band)
Encyclopedia
Eels is an American indie rock
band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett
, better known as E. Other members rotate frequently, both in the studio and on stage.
Eels appear on several film soundtracks, including Scream 2
, American Beauty
, Road Trip, Holes
, The Anniversary Party
, Knocked Up
, Yes Man
, The End of Violence
, Hellboy II, Hot Fuzz
the first three Shrek
movies, and Charlie Bartlett
.
under the name E. The single "Hello Cruel World" was a minor success. Touring to support the album, E opened for Tori Amos
. A Man Called E was followed by Broken Toy Shop
in 1993. This year also marked the beginning of E's collaboration with drummer Jonathan "Butch" Norton. After Broken Toy Shop, E was released from his record deal with Polydor. E himself has recovered two of the songs ('The Only Thing I Care About' and 'Manchester Girl') from Broken Toy Shop
for his own live shows with the Eels.
, followed by Elliott Smith
.
In 1996 the band released their debut album Beautiful Freak
, a melancholy pop record with tormented lyrics. Musically, it demonstrated a wide range of influences including grunge
and hip hop
. The singles "Novocaine for the Soul
", "Susan's House
" and "Your Lucky Day in Hell
" achieved modest national and international success, winning the Best International Breakthrough Act award at the 1998 BRIT Awards
.
In 1996 and 1997, the Eels toured extensively to support the album, playing at many festivals and building their name as a live act in the United States and Europe. In September 1997, Walter quit the band (or was fired, according to some accounts).
"My Beloved Monster" was featured on the soundtrack for the DreamWorks
movie Shrek
. Two other songs from the album, "Not Ready Yet" and "Guest List", were featured in the fifth season of the television show Homicide: Life on the Street
. The song "Your Lucky Day In Hell" also achieved moderate success, and was used in the horror movie Scream 2.
Everett wrote the song "Beautiful Freak" for a girlfriend, and he jokingly remarks in his memoir, Things The Grandchildren Should Know (2008) "Perhaps if I hadn't referred to her as a 'freak' she'd still be my girlfriend".
The song appears in "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army".
, which focuses on his family, which he had never written about previously, bar perhaps the song "Fitting In With The Misfits" from his 1992 solo album A Man Called E, written in the form of a letter to his mother. "Electro-Shock Blues" was released in 1998. The album deals with many difficult subjects including suicide, death, and cancer. The tragedy of Everett's father's death became prominent once more in the context of his mother's pending death and his sister's suicide, and as a result the song "Baby Genius" is written for Hugh Everett III (his father).
Contributions to the album were made by Jon Brion
, Lisa Germano
, Grant Lee Phillips, Dust Brother
Michael Simpson, and T-Bone Burnett
.
The single "Last Stop: This Town
" saw minor success; "Cancer for the Cure
", the second single from the album, was used on the American Beauty soundtrack.
Still a three-piece band on stage, Tommy Walter was replaced by Adam Siegel
. Part of the American leg of the tour was cancelled after the death of E's mother. They returned to tour Europe later in the year, to open for Pulp
.
. The album, which was recorded almost entirely in E's basement, is lighter and more upbeat than its predecessor. Everett
noted, "if Electro-Shock Blues was the phone call in the middle of the night that the world doesn't want to answer, then Daisies of the Galaxy is the hotel wake-up call that says your lovely breakfast is ready". He was joined in the studio by Michael Simpson (Dust Brothers), Grant-Lee Phillips
(Grant Lee Buffalo
), and Peter Buck
(R.E.M.
). On the tracks "It's a Motherfucker" and "Selective Memory", E plays the same piano that Neil Young
used on his classic album After the Gold Rush
.
The first single, "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues
", was co-written by Simpson and features the sound of his pager in the beginning. The song was not intended to be on the album, but the record company insisted on its inclusion. Therefore, it is not featured on the track listing but is instead listed as a "bonus track
", separated from the rest of the album by 20 seconds of silence. E declared, "You can think of it as buying the album and getting a bonus track, or buying the single and getting a bonus album." The song also appeared on the Road Trip
soundtrack and several of the film's cast members are featured in the music video. Mark Everett was against the inclusion of his song in the film, however it was used when his current publisher overruled his objections. Because of the use of profanity
in "It's a Motherfucker" and "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" ("Goddamn right, it's a beautiful day") a censored
version was released. "It's a Motherfucker" was renamed to "It's a Monstertrucker" with E singing over instances of the word fuck in a distorted voice. Dan Bartlett
of the presidential campaign for then-Governor George W. Bush
cited the album—which was reportedly given as a gift at a Democratic
political event—as an example of obscenity-laden entertainment marketed to children. This conclusion was due to the contrast between the aforementioned song title and the cartoon drawings on the album cover, which were inspired by children's books found in the estate of E's mother.
To promote Daisies of the Galaxy another tour took place across the United States and Europe, as well as their first visit to Australia. This time Eels were transformed into an 6-piece orchestra, including Lisa Germano
. E also played some solo shows, opening for Fiona Apple
.
was released, an album with a heavier feel and more rock-oriented sound than Daisies of the Galaxy. John Parish
, previously of PJ Harvey
's band, co-wrote most of the songs and played guitar on the album and first part of the tour. After Parish became a father, he was replaced with Joe Gore for the American leg of the Bus Driving, Band Rocking Tour. Koool G Murder played bass and keyboards and joined Eels on tour, jokingly introduced by E as "the other guy." Wim Wenders
directed the video for the first single, "Souljacker part I".
2003 marked the release of the album Shootenanny!
. E now refers to the album as a break from recording the following Blinking Lights album. It was recorded live in the studio in only ten days. "Saturday Morning" was released as a single.
Butch was replaced on drums by Puddin'. In 2003 Eels did another big tour, the Tour of Duty. The live band consisted of E, Goldenboy
(guitar), Koool G Murder (bass) and Puddin (drums). Later that year, E composed the score for the film Levity
.
, was released on April 26, 2005; it was the band's first release for new label Vagrant Records
. It is a 33-track double album. Contributions were made by Tom Waits
, Peter Buck
, John Sebastian
(The Lovin' Spoonful
), and Butch. A hand-written lyric-sheet to "In the Yard, Behind the Church" was sold on eBay
for $544, which was given to charity.
The first tour in support of the Blinking Lights album, billed as Eels with Strings, featured primarily acoustic guitar-, organ- and piano-based performances by E backed by Allen 'Big Al' Hunter on piano and upright bass; Jeffrey Lyster (also known as Chet Atkins III or 'The Chet') on guitar, mandolin
, pedal steel, musical saw
and drums; and the string quartet of violin
ists Paloma Udovic and Julie Carpenter, violist
Heather Lockie and cellist
Ana Lenchantin
.
The tour resulted in a live album, Eels with Strings: Live at Town Hall
, recorded in New York City. The performance includes tracks from all of their albums, and was released on CD and DVD on February 21, 2006.
Meet the Eels: Essential Eels Vol. I spans the first decade of the Eels with singles from all their albums. Attached is a DVD featuring music videos and one live performance video. Useless Trinkets contains 50 B-sides and rarities and a DVD of their Lollapalooza 2006 performances.
To promote those releases the band went on world tour ("An Evening with Eels"). This time only The Chet joined E on stage, both playing a broad cross-section from the Eels repertoire on a variety of instruments. The concerts also featured The Chet reading excerpts from E's autobiography, Things the Grandchildren Should Know
. On this tour, the band released a live CD/DVD package of Eels' 2006 performance at the London Astoria
– Live and in Person!), documenting a show from the second tour in support of Blinking Lights and Other Revelations.
The soundtrack of the 2008 Jim Carrey comedy film Yes Man
features nine songs by the Eels, including "Man Up," a brand new song.
, the seventh Eels studio album, was released on June 2, 2009. The album comprises twelve new songs. "Hombre Lobo" is Spanish for "wolf man" or "werewolf" and may be a reference to E's unusually long beard which he originally grew when writing the song "Dog Faced Boy". On March 31, 2009, the band made the track "Fresh Blood
" available on Spinner.com
, explaining that the song would be the lead single for the album. A Jesse Dylan
-directed music video was released on April 29, 2009 as well. The album was released as a single-disc CD and a deluxe edition with a DVD. In September 2009, Eels released a music video for "That Look You Give That Guy" featuring Bobby, Jr., E and "Top Chef" host, Padma Lakshmi
.
While promoting this album, Eels released the live EP The Myspace Transmissions Session 2009
on October 14, 2009.
On October 14, 2009, the band's website announced that a new Eels album entitled End Times
would be released on January 19, 2010. It was largely recorded on a four-track recorder and is based on the themes of broken love. Three album tracks—"Little Bird", "In My Younger Days", and "A Line in the Dirt
"—were made available as music videos or promotional downloads prior to the release of the album. Once again, Butch contributed drums to "A Line in the Dirt
". On January 19, 2010, End Times was released. Mark Oliver Everett has made no comment on touring and there is no tour scheduled to begin.
A second 2010 album was announced on May 20, 2010—Tomorrow Morning
was described as "final installment of a trilogy that began with Hombre Lobo and End Times." The three albums respectively explore themes of desire, loss, and redemption. A world tour, the first since 2007's An Evening With Eels tour, was announced at the same time. This tour once again featured the Chet on various instruments, alongside Koool G Murder on bass, trilogy drummer Knuckles on drums and a new member, P-Boo, on guitar. During this tour, E wore a white jumpsuit and bandana, and handed out ice cream at each performance.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett
Mark Oliver Everett
Mark Oliver Everett is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometime drummer of the independent rock band Eels...
, better known as E. Other members rotate frequently, both in the studio and on stage.
Eels appear on several film soundtracks, including Scream 2
Scream 2
Scream 2 is a 1997 American slasher film created and written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy and Liev Schreiber, released on December 12, 1997 as the second installment in the Scream film series...
, American Beauty
American Beauty (film)
American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged magazine writer who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend, Angela...
, Road Trip, Holes
Holes (film)
Holes is a 2003 film based on the novel of the same name by Louis Sachar, who also wrote the screenplay, with Shia LaBeouf as the lead role of Stanley Yelnats...
, The Anniversary Party
The Anniversary Party
The Anniversary Party is a 2001 American comedy-drama film written, directed, produced by, and starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming.-Plot:...
, Knocked Up
Knocked Up
Knocked Up is a 2007 American romantic comedy drama film co-produced, written, and directed by Judd Apatow. Starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, and Leslie Mann, the film follows the repercussions of a drunken one-night stand between Rogen's slacker character and Heigl's just-promoted...
, Yes Man
Yes Man (film)
Yes Man is a 2008 comedy film directed by Peyton Reed, written by Nicholas Stoller, Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel and starring Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins, Rhys Darby, Maile Flanagan, Danny Masterson, and Terence Stamp...
, The End of Violence
The End of Violence
The End of Violence is a 1997 film by the German director Wim Wenders. The film's cast includes Bill Pullman, Gabriel Byrne, Traci Lind, Rosalind Chao, Andie MacDowell, and Loren Dean, among others. It also features a soundtrack marked with the signature sounds of Wenders regulars Jon Hassell, Ry...
, Hellboy II, Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz is a 2007 British action dark comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. The three had previously worked together on the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead as well as the television series Spaced...
the first three 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!...
movies, and Charlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett is a 2008 comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the student body at his new high school in order to become popular....
.
E solo records
In 1992, Polydor released A Man Called EA Man Called E
A Man Called E is Mark Oliver Everett's 1992 major-label debut album, and the first on which he used the pseudonym "E"....
under the name E. The single "Hello Cruel World" was a minor success. Touring to support the album, E opened for Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
. A Man Called E was followed by Broken Toy Shop
Broken Toy Shop
Broken Toy Shop is singer/songwriter E's second album, and his last as a solo artist before forming the band Eels. According to Everett's official website, this album's cover is his least favorite of any of his releases...
in 1993. This year also marked the beginning of E's collaboration with drummer Jonathan "Butch" Norton. After Broken Toy Shop, E was released from his record deal with Polydor. E himself has recovered two of the songs ('The Only Thing I Care About' and 'Manchester Girl') from Broken Toy Shop
Broken Toy Shop
Broken Toy Shop is singer/songwriter E's second album, and his last as a solo artist before forming the band Eels. According to Everett's official website, this album's cover is his least favorite of any of his releases...
for his own live shows with the Eels.
Beautiful Freak
Eels were officially founded when Butch and E met Tommy Walter. The name "Eels" was chosen so that the band's records would be close to E's solo records in an alphabetical ordering, although it was too late realised that numerous "Eagles" and "Earth, Wind and Fire" releases were in between. Eels became one of the first groups to sign a record deal with DreamWorks RecordsDreamWorks 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...
, followed by Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
.
In 1996 the band released their debut album Beautiful Freak
Beautiful Freak
Beautiful Freak is a 1996 album by musician Mark Oliver Everett, his first using a full band and the name Eels...
, a melancholy pop record with tormented lyrics. Musically, it demonstrated a wide range of influences including grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
. 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...
", "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 "Your Lucky Day in Hell
Your 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...
" achieved modest national and international success, winning the Best International Breakthrough Act award at the 1998 BRIT Awards
1998 BRIT Awards
The 1998 BRIT Awards were the 18th edition of the biggest annual pop music awards in the United Kingdom. They are run by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 19th February 1998 at the London Arena in London.-Live performers:...
.
In 1996 and 1997, the Eels toured extensively to support the album, playing at many festivals and building their name as a live act in the United States and Europe. In September 1997, Walter quit the band (or was fired, according to some accounts).
"My Beloved Monster" was featured on the soundtrack for the DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
movie 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!...
. Two other songs from the album, "Not Ready Yet" and "Guest List", were featured in the fifth season of the television show Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
. The song "Your Lucky Day In Hell" also achieved moderate success, and was used in the horror movie Scream 2.
Everett wrote the song "Beautiful Freak" for a girlfriend, and he jokingly remarks in his memoir, Things The Grandchildren Should Know (2008) "Perhaps if I hadn't referred to her as a 'freak' she'd still be my girlfriend".
The song appears in "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army".
Electro-Shock Blues
Following the success of Beautiful Freak, E experienced a difficult time in his personal life. His sister committed suicide, and his mother was diagnosed with cancer. These events inspired him to write Electro-Shock BluesElectro-Shock Blues
Electro-Shock Blues is the second studio album by the band Eels, released on September 21, 1998 in the United Kingdom and October 20, 1998 in the United States.-Background and inspiration:...
, which focuses on his family, which he had never written about previously, bar perhaps the song "Fitting In With The Misfits" from his 1992 solo album A Man Called E, written in the form of a letter to his mother. "Electro-Shock Blues" was released in 1998. The album deals with many difficult subjects including suicide, death, and cancer. The tragedy of Everett's father's death became prominent once more in the context of his mother's pending death and his sister's suicide, and as a result the song "Baby Genius" is written for Hugh Everett III (his father).
Contributions to the album were made by Jon Brion
Jon Brion
Jon Brion is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and record producer.-Early life:...
, Lisa Germano
Lisa Germano
Lisa Germano is an American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has released seven albums featuring her often-hushed vocal style, confessional lyrics, and distinctive violin. Her 1994 album Geek the Girl received widespread critical acclaim, including being featured as a top album of...
, Grant Lee Phillips, Dust Brother
Dust Brothers
The Dust Brothers are the Los Angeles, California based, Grammy Award winning producers, E.Z. Mike and King Gizmo , famous for their sample-based music in the 1980s and 1990s, and specifically for their work on the albums Paul's Boutique by the Beastie Boys, Odelay by Beck, and the soundtrack to...
Michael Simpson, and T-Bone Burnett
T-Bone Burnett
Joseph Henry Burnett , widely known as T-Bone Burnett, is an American musician, songwriter, and soundtrack and record producer.He was a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band on the Rolling Thunder Revue...
.
The single "Last Stop: This Town
Last Stop: This Town
"Last Stop: This Town" is a 1998 single from the album Electro-Shock Blues by Eels. The song was released commercially in Australia and the United Kingdom and as a promo only in the United States. It was produced and co-written by Michael Simpson of the Dust Brothers and Eels frontman E...
" saw minor success; "Cancer for the Cure
Cancer for the Cure
"Cancer for the Cure" is a single released by American rock band, Eels. This tracks comes off their 1998 album, Electro-Shock Blues. It also features in the soundtrack to the 1999 film, American Beauty...
", the second single from the album, was used on the American Beauty soundtrack.
Still a three-piece band on stage, Tommy Walter was replaced by Adam Siegel
Adam Siegel
Adam Siegel is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and graphic designer from Venice, California, United States...
. Part of the American leg of the tour was cancelled after the death of E's mother. They returned to tour Europe later in the year, to open for Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
.
Daisies of the Galaxy
In 2000, Eels released Daisies of the GalaxyDaisies of the Galaxy
Daisies of the Galaxy is an album by Eels. It was released on February 28, 2000 in the United Kingdom and March 14, 2000 in the United States. "Mr...
. The album, which was recorded almost entirely in E's basement, is lighter and more upbeat than its predecessor. Everett
noted, "if Electro-Shock Blues was the phone call in the middle of the night that the world doesn't want to answer, then Daisies of the Galaxy is the hotel wake-up call that says your lovely breakfast is ready". He was joined in the studio by Michael Simpson (Dust Brothers), Grant-Lee Phillips
Grant-Lee Phillips
Grant-Lee Phillips is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for his versatile voice, intense lyrical narratives and dexterity on the acoustic twelve-string guitar, a style that often sees him compared to Neil Young, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.- Background :Born in...
(Grant Lee Buffalo
Grant Lee Buffalo
Grant Lee Buffalo is a rock band based in Los Angeles, California, consisting of Grant-Lee Phillips , Paul Kimble and Joey Peters . All three were previously members of another Los Angeles band, Shiva Burlesque.-Career:...
), and Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
(R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
). On the tracks "It's a Motherfucker" and "Selective Memory", E plays the same piano that Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
used on his classic album After the Gold Rush
After the Gold Rush
After the Gold Rush is the third studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young. Released in August 1970 on Reprise Records, it was one of the four high-profile albums released by each member of folk rock collective Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the wake of their chart-topping 1970 album Déjà Vu...
.
The first single, "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues
Mr. E's Beautiful Blues
"Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" is a song by the American rock band Eels. It was the first single to be released from their 2000 album, Daisies of the Galaxy, and reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart. It was produced and co-written by Michael Simpson of the Dust Brothers...
", was co-written by Simpson and features the sound of his pager in the beginning. The song was not intended to be on the album, but the record company insisted on its inclusion. Therefore, it is not featured on the track listing but is instead listed as a "bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
", separated from the rest of the album by 20 seconds of silence. E declared, "You can think of it as buying the album and getting a bonus track, or buying the single and getting a bonus album." The song also appeared on the Road Trip
Road Trip
Road Trip is a 2000 American comedy film written by Todd Phillips and Scot Armstrong and directed by Todd Phillips.-Plot :The movie begins with Barry giving a tour of the University of Ithaca to some prospective students...
soundtrack and several of the film's cast members are featured in the music video. Mark Everett was against the inclusion of his song in the film, however it was used when his current publisher overruled his objections. Because of the use of profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
in "It's a Motherfucker" and "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" ("Goddamn right, it's a beautiful day") a censored
Censorship of music
Censorship of music is the practice of restricting free access to musical works. This censorship may stem from a wide variety of motivations, including moral, political, military or religious reasons. Censorship can range from the complete government-enforced legal prohibition of a musical work, to...
version was released. "It's a Motherfucker" was renamed to "It's a Monstertrucker" with E singing over instances of the word fuck in a distorted voice. Dan Bartlett
Dan Bartlett
Daniel Joseph Bartlett was a Counselor to the President in the Bush administration. The position was previously held by Karen Hughes, who vacated the post in 2002. On June 1, 2007, he announced his resignation and that he would be leaving the White House on July 5, 2007...
of the presidential campaign for then-Governor George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
cited the album—which was reportedly given as a gift at a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
political event—as an example of obscenity-laden entertainment marketed to children. This conclusion was due to the contrast between the aforementioned song title and the cartoon drawings on the album cover, which were inspired by children's books found in the estate of E's mother.
To promote Daisies of the Galaxy another tour took place across the United States and Europe, as well as their first visit to Australia. This time Eels were transformed into an 6-piece orchestra, including Lisa Germano
Lisa Germano
Lisa Germano is an American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has released seven albums featuring her often-hushed vocal style, confessional lyrics, and distinctive violin. Her 1994 album Geek the Girl received widespread critical acclaim, including being featured as a top album of...
. E also played some solo shows, opening for Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
.
Souljacker and Shootenanny!
In 2001 SouljackerSouljacker
Souljacker is a studio album from Eels released on September 19, 2001 in Japan, September 24, 2001 in the United Kingdom, and March 12, 2002 in the United States...
was released, an album with a heavier feel and more rock-oriented sound than Daisies of the Galaxy. John Parish
John Parish
John Parish is a British musician and producer best known for his work with singer and songwriter PJ Harvey,. His sister is the actress Sarah Parish.-Partial discography:Solo*Rosie *How Animals Move...
, previously of PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
's band, co-wrote most of the songs and played guitar on the album and first part of the tour. After Parish became a father, he was replaced with Joe Gore for the American leg of the Bus Driving, Band Rocking Tour. Koool G Murder played bass and keyboards and joined Eels on tour, jokingly introduced by E as "the other guy." Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf...
directed the video for the first single, "Souljacker part I".
2003 marked the release of the album Shootenanny!
Shootenanny!
Shootenanny! is a 2003 studio album by Eels. The name comes from a neologism coined by Eels front-man, Mark Oliver Everett, for "a social gathering at which participants engage in folk singing and sometimes dancing [a hootenanny], but mostly the shooting of guns.""Saturday Morning" was released...
. E now refers to the album as a break from recording the following Blinking Lights album. It was recorded live in the studio in only ten days. "Saturday Morning" was released as a single.
Butch was replaced on drums by Puddin'. In 2003 Eels did another big tour, the Tour of Duty. The live band consisted of E, Goldenboy
Shon Sullivan
Shon Sullivan, born in Diamond Bar, California, is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist, cellist, who fronts the band Goldenboy. He has contributed to recordings with The Watson Twins, Josie Cotton, The Rentals, Let's Go Sailing, and Spain...
(guitar), Koool G Murder (bass) and Puddin (drums). Later that year, E composed the score for the film Levity
Levity (film)
Levity is a 2003 drama movie, directed by Ed Solomon. Its theatrical release was on April 4. The score for this film was composed by Mark Oliver Everett of the band Eels. Levity was filmed in Montreal, Canada.- Plot :...
.
Blinking Lights and Other Revelations and Eels with Strings
Eels' next album, Blinking Lights and Other RevelationsBlinking Lights and Other Revelations
Blinking Lights and Other Revelations is a 2005 double album by Eels. It was described by E on the official website as an album about "God and all the questions related to the subject of God...
, was released on April 26, 2005; it was the band's first release for new label Vagrant Records
Vagrant Records
Vagrant Records is an indie rock label based in Los Angeles, California and is home to such artists as The Hold Steady, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Active Child, PJ Harvey, Reptar, School of Seven Bells, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Thrice, James Vincent McMorrow, Placebo, and many...
. It is a 33-track double album. Contributions were made by Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
, Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
, John Sebastian
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
(The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful is an American pop rock band of the 1960s, named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. When asked about his band, leader John Sebastian said it sounded like a combination of "Mississippi John Hurt and Chuck Berry," prompting his friend, Fritz Richmond, to suggest the name...
), and Butch. A hand-written lyric-sheet to "In the Yard, Behind the Church" was sold on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
for $544, which was given to charity.
The first tour in support of the Blinking Lights album, billed as Eels with Strings, featured primarily acoustic guitar-, organ- and piano-based performances by E backed by Allen 'Big Al' Hunter on piano and upright bass; Jeffrey Lyster (also known as Chet Atkins III or 'The Chet') on guitar, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, pedal steel, musical saw
Musical saw
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin...
and drums; and the string quartet of violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ists Paloma Udovic and Julie Carpenter, violist
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
Heather Lockie and cellist
Cello
The 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...
Ana Lenchantin
Ana Lenchantin
Ana Lenchantin is an Argentine-American cellist known for frequent appearances with American rock bands such as Into the Presence The Eels, Gnarls Barkley, No Doubt, Arthur Lee and Love, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, 30 Seconds to Mars, Brian Wilson, Billy Corgan,...
.
The tour resulted in a live album, Eels with Strings: Live at Town Hall
Eels with Strings: Live at Town Hall
-DVD track listing:#I Heart NY#"Theme from Blinking Lights"#"Going to Your Funeral Part 2" – 1:53#"Dust of Ages" – 2:06#"In the Yard, Behind the Church" – 3:12#Ladies of EELS...
, recorded in New York City. The performance includes tracks from all of their albums, and was released on CD and DVD on February 21, 2006.
Meet the Eels: Essential Eels Vol. I and Useless Trinkets
In early 2008 Eels released their first "greatest hits" compilation as well as a compilation of b-sides, rarities, soundtrack singles and unreleased tracks.Meet the Eels: Essential Eels Vol. I spans the first decade of the Eels with singles from all their albums. Attached is a DVD featuring music videos and one live performance video. Useless Trinkets contains 50 B-sides and rarities and a DVD of their Lollapalooza 2006 performances.
To promote those releases the band went on world tour ("An Evening with Eels"). This time only The Chet joined E on stage, both playing a broad cross-section from the Eels repertoire on a variety of instruments. The concerts also featured The Chet reading excerpts from E's autobiography, Things the Grandchildren Should Know
Things the Grandchildren Should Know
Things the Grandchildren Should Know is an autobiographic book by Mark Oliver Everett who is the front man of the independent rock band Eels. Everett spent a year composing the book between the release of the retrospectives Meet The Eels: Essential Eels, Vol...
. On this tour, the band released a live CD/DVD package of Eels' 2006 performance at the London Astoria
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue, located at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. It was closed on 15 January 2009 and has since been demolished...
– Live and in Person!), documenting a show from the second tour in support of Blinking Lights and Other Revelations.
The soundtrack of the 2008 Jim Carrey comedy film Yes Man
Yes Man (film)
Yes Man is a 2008 comedy film directed by Peyton Reed, written by Nicholas Stoller, Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel and starring Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins, Rhys Darby, Maile Flanagan, Danny Masterson, and Terence Stamp...
features nine songs by the Eels, including "Man Up," a brand new song.
Concept album trilogy: Hombre Lobo, End Times, and Tomorrow Morning
Hombre LoboHombre Lobo
Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire is the seventh studio album by American rock band Eels, released on June 2, 2009. Hombre Lobo is Spanish for "werewolf." On March 31, 2009, the band made the track "Fresh Blood" available on Spinner.com, explaining that the song would be the lead single for the album...
, the seventh Eels studio album, was released on June 2, 2009. The album comprises twelve new songs. "Hombre Lobo" is Spanish for "wolf man" or "werewolf" and may be a reference to E's unusually long beard which he originally grew when writing the song "Dog Faced Boy". On March 31, 2009, the band made the track "Fresh Blood
Fresh Blood (song)
"Fresh Blood" is the first single from the 2009 Eels album Hombre Lobo. On March 31, 2009, the band made the track available on Spinner.com, explaining that the song would be the lead single for the album. The song is about a werewolf who desires "fresh blood"...
" available on Spinner.com
Spinner.com
Spinner is an AOL Music property, which bills itself as "the ultimate music blog for free MP3s, free CD listening, [and] discovering new artists."...
, explaining that the song would be the lead single for the album. A Jesse Dylan
Jesse Dylan
Jesse Dylan is an American film director, and the founder, CEO and creative director of the media production company Wondros.-Personal Life:...
-directed music video was released on April 29, 2009 as well. The album was released as a single-disc CD and a deluxe edition with a DVD. In September 2009, Eels released a music video for "That Look You Give That Guy" featuring Bobby, Jr., E and "Top Chef" host, Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi
Padma Parvati Lakshmi also Padma, Lady Rushdie is an American cookbook author, actress, model and television host. She has been the host of the US reality television program Top Chef since season two in 2006, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for...
.
While promoting this album, Eels released the live EP The Myspace Transmissions Session 2009
The Myspace Transmissions Session 2009
The Myspace Transmissions Session 2009 is a live EP from Eels released digitally on August 14, 2009, and on 10" vinyl on September 1, 2009. The songs were recorded as a part of The MySpace Transmissions album series...
on October 14, 2009.
On October 14, 2009, the band's website announced that a new Eels album entitled End Times
End Times (album)
-Charts:-Personnel:Eels*Wayne Bergeron – horns*Butch – drums*Chris Bleth – horns*E – vocals, guitars, bass guitar, harmonica, piano, Optigan, Hammond B3 organ, banjo, Harmonium, Vox Continental organ, drums, percussion, and production...
would be released on January 19, 2010. It was largely recorded on a four-track recorder and is based on the themes of broken love. Three album tracks—"Little Bird", "In My Younger Days", and "A Line in the Dirt
A Line in the Dirt
"A Line in the Dirt" is a 2010 single by Eels from the album End Times. The cover to the single and the album were illustrated by Adrian Tomine...
"—were made available as music videos or promotional downloads prior to the release of the album. Once again, Butch contributed drums to "A Line in the Dirt
A Line in the Dirt
"A Line in the Dirt" is a 2010 single by Eels from the album End Times. The cover to the single and the album were illustrated by Adrian Tomine...
". On January 19, 2010, End Times was released. Mark Oliver Everett has made no comment on touring and there is no tour scheduled to begin.
A second 2010 album was announced on May 20, 2010—Tomorrow Morning
Tomorrow Morning (album)
Tomorrow Morning is a 2010 studio album by Eels—the third in a trilogy of concept albums including Hombre Lobo and End Times . The band will tour for the album for the first time since their 2008 An Evening with Eels tour....
was described as "final installment of a trilogy that began with Hombre Lobo and End Times." The three albums respectively explore themes of desire, loss, and redemption. A world tour, the first since 2007's An Evening With Eels tour, was announced at the same time. This tour once again featured the Chet on various instruments, alongside Koool G Murder on bass, trilogy drummer Knuckles on drums and a new member, P-Boo, on guitar. During this tour, E wore a white jumpsuit and bandana, and handed out ice cream at each performance.
Discography
- Beautiful FreakBeautiful FreakBeautiful Freak is a 1996 album by musician Mark Oliver Everett, his first using a full band and the name Eels...
(1996) - Electro-Shock BluesElectro-Shock BluesElectro-Shock Blues is the second studio album by the band Eels, released on September 21, 1998 in the United Kingdom and October 20, 1998 in the United States.-Background and inspiration:...
(1998) - Daisies of the GalaxyDaisies of the GalaxyDaisies of the Galaxy is an album by Eels. It was released on February 28, 2000 in the United Kingdom and March 14, 2000 in the United States. "Mr...
(2000) - SouljackerSouljackerSouljacker is a studio album from Eels released on September 19, 2001 in Japan, September 24, 2001 in the United Kingdom, and March 12, 2002 in the United States...
(2001) - Shootenanny!Shootenanny!Shootenanny! is a 2003 studio album by Eels. The name comes from a neologism coined by Eels front-man, Mark Oliver Everett, for "a social gathering at which participants engage in folk singing and sometimes dancing [a hootenanny], but mostly the shooting of guns.""Saturday Morning" was released...
(2003) - Blinking Lights and Other RevelationsBlinking Lights and Other RevelationsBlinking Lights and Other Revelations is a 2005 double album by Eels. It was described by E on the official website as an album about "God and all the questions related to the subject of God...
(2005) - Hombre LoboHombre LoboHombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire is the seventh studio album by American rock band Eels, released on June 2, 2009. Hombre Lobo is Spanish for "werewolf." On March 31, 2009, the band made the track "Fresh Blood" available on Spinner.com, explaining that the song would be the lead single for the album...
(2009) - End TimesEnd Times (album)-Charts:-Personnel:Eels*Wayne Bergeron – horns*Butch – drums*Chris Bleth – horns*E – vocals, guitars, bass guitar, harmonica, piano, Optigan, Hammond B3 organ, banjo, Harmonium, Vox Continental organ, drums, percussion, and production...
(2010) - Tomorrow MorningTomorrow Morning (album)Tomorrow Morning is a 2010 studio album by Eels—the third in a trilogy of concept albums including Hombre Lobo and End Times . The band will tour for the album for the first time since their 2008 An Evening with Eels tour....
(2010)