The Beginning (The Black Eyed Peas album)
Encyclopedia
The Beginning received generally mixed
reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...

 rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...

 score of 47, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews."

Monica Herrera wrote for Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

that "the music is expertly produced, but problems arise when Will.i.am claims the same of his wordplay. On the track "Don't Stop the Party," he chest-thumps, "Kill you with my lyricals/Call me verbal criminal." It's a silly boast for an artist who clearly focuses on beats over rhymes, and is probably better off for it." Kevin O'Donnell of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...

described the album as "one of the year's wildest sonic stews" and concluded "Pop's reigning peddlers of dumb fun are actually starting to sound stylishly avant-garde on their sixth album." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

s Caroline Sullivan gave the album 3 out of 5 stars calling it "upscale hip-pop" and said that "the Black Eyed Peas have created an album similar to 2009's enormously successful The END
The E.N.D.
According to review aggregator Metacritic, The E.N.D. received an average of 60 out of 100 indicating mixed to average reviews from music critics, based on fifteen critiques, higher than their 2005 album Monkey Business but lower than their 2003 breakout Elephunk, with critics agreeing that the...

, but with more Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...

 and less input from the wonderful Fergie." 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...

reviewer Jon Dolan viewed that the album "largely picks up where The E.N.D. left off" and felt that "they give themselves over more fully than ever to the groove palette of club culture, stirring up electro funk, Euro-trance and classic disco." John Bush of Allmusic gave the album 2 out of 5 stars, and noted that although David Guetta
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...

 only appears on one track "his production job for 2009’s “I Gotta Feeling
I Gotta Feeling
"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D., produced by the French DJ David Guetta. The song was released on May 21, 2009 and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27, 2009, behind the group's "Boom Boom...

” casts a long shadow on this record of don't-stop-the-party jams and club-life tracks."
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

writer Simon Vozick-Levinson gave the album a very positive review and stated "The Beginning wisely sticks with the heavier electronic beats they began importing from European clubs for The E.N.D. — a key ingredient that transformed the Black Eyed Peas from merely major stars to arguably the biggest chart act going [...] Every song is piled high with sticky pop melodies, slick hip-hop rhythms, bright synth parts, and vocals that have been diced and processed to high heaven, all furthering the goal of maximum catchiness." Greg Kot of Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...

gave the album 1.5 out of 4 stars and called it "the quartet’s tamest, most hook-deprived album in the Fergie era" and stated "the music’s reliance on rhythmic and lyrical repetition (as opposed to progression and surprise) becomes wearying." In his review for The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

, Andy Gill wrote "It's a textbook blend of the over-familiar and the electronically treated, though their use of auto-tune and digital-stutter vocal effects is a touch more restrained than usual. From there on, the aspect never extends beyond the dancefloor, with martial synth-stomp riffs, spartan electro beats and loping bass grooves driving tracks." Ben Ratliff of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

gave the album a negative review and noted it similarities with its predecessor, The E.N.D. with few differences, "less of Fergie’s actressy, un-Autotuned belting (too bad about that), bolder two-step techno beats, more heavily draped synthesizer tones and a fascination with late ’70s and early ’80s pop radio." and found the lyrics "soggy" and "cynical." musicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...

 writer Luke Winkie stated that "will.i.am's productions sound like the bare minimum one could throw together and call a beat, usually encompassed by a simplified drum sequence and a buzzsaw synth turned up to the red and repeated long enough for DJs to make their paycheck" and wrote "the band has a knack of elongating their elementally good ideas into preposterously tiresome compositions."

Singles

  • "The Time (Dirty Bit)
    The Time (Dirty Bit)
    "The Time " is a song by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas from their sixth studio album, The Beginning. The song was released as the album's lead single on November 5, 2010. The chorus of the song samples " The Time of My Life" from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing...

    " was released as the lead single
    Lead single
    A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...

     from The Beginning on November 5, 2010. It officially debuted on United States
    United States
    The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

     radio on November 16, 2010. The music video for "The Time (Dirty Bit)" was released on November 23, 2010 and was directed by Rich Lee
    Rich lee
    Rich Lee is an American music video and commercial director signed to DNA in Hollywood, California and Flynn Productions in the United Kingdom. He has directed music videos for Eminem, The Black Eyed Peas, Norah Jones, Michael Bublé and The All-American Rejects. Rich Lee started his professional...

    , who had previously directed the video for "Rock That Body
    Rock That Body
    -Personnel:*Songwriting — William Adams, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gómez, Stacy Ferguson, David Guetta, Mark Knight, Adam Walder, Jean Baptiste, Jamie Munson, Robert Ginyard*Production — David Guetta, will.i.am, Mark Knight, Funkagenda*Keyboards — Mark Night, Adam Walder...

    " and "Imma Be
    Imma Be
    "Imma Be" is a song performed by the American hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas taken from their fifth studio album The E.N.D. The song's title is a slang expression, meaning "I am going to be" or "I will be" [something or some activity]. Initially released as a promotional single, the song went on...

    ".The song topped the charts in more than 15 countries.

  • "Just Can't Get Enough
    Just Can't Get Enough (The Black Eyed Peas song)
    "Just Can't Get Enough" is a song by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas. The song was written by members William Adams, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gomez and Stacy Ferguson, along with Joshua Alvarez, Stephen Shadowen, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and Julie Frost, for the group's sixth studio album,...

    " was released as the album's second single when it impacted U.S. mainstream on February 8, 2011. It was announced on January 21, 2011 via Twitter and their official site that it would become a single. The music video for "Just Can't Get Enough" was directed by Ben Mor.It was shot over a three-day period in Tokyo just one week before the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
    2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
    The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...

    .The song topped the charts in many countries.

  • "Don't Stop the Party
    Don't Stop the Party
    "Don't Stop the Party" is a song by American group The Black Eyed Peas. The song was written by members will.i.am, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gomez and Stacy Ferguson, along with Joshua Alvarez, and LeRoy, and produced by will.i.am. and DJ Ammo for the group's sixth studio album, The Beginning...

    " was announced as the third single from The Beginning by will.i.am on May 9, 2011. A music video for the song was released on iTunes
    ITunes
    iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

     the next day, along with the single. The video, which is directed by Ben Mor, features on stage and backstage footage of the group during their 'The E.N.D. World Tour
    The E.N.D. World Tour
    The E.N.D. World Tour was the third concert tour by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas, in support of their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. . The tour began in Japan on September 15, 2009, with shows also performed in Australia and New Zealand in 2009...

    ' last year.

Promotional Singles

  • "Do It Like This
    Do It Like This
    "Do It Like This" is a song by American hip hop music group The Black Eyed Peas. It was written by William Adams, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gómez and Damien LeRoy.The song was released on November 16, 2010 worldwide and on November 26 on iTunes.It was the first promotional single from the album as part...

    ", was released on November 16, 2010 worldwide and on November 26 on iTunes. It was the first promotional single from the album as part of "The Countdown to The Beginning".
  • "Light Up the Night
    Light Up the Night (song)
    "Light Up The Night" is a song by American hip hop music group The Black Eyed Peas. It was written by William Adams, Allan Pineda, Keith Harris and Ricky Walters. The song was released on November 24, 2010 worldwide and on November 26 on iTunes...

    ", was the second promotional single from the album and was released on November 24, 2010 worldwide and on November 26 on iTunes. The song charted at number 99 at the Canadian Hot 100
    Canadian Hot 100
    The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...

    .

Other Notable Songs

  • "Love You Long Time" had charted, at the first week after the album's release, at number 36 on the UK Dance Chart
    UK Dance Chart
    The UK Dance Chart is a chart compiled by The Official Charts Company from sales in record stores and digital downloads. Although the chart does not currently receive any airplay on the radio or television, the chart can be viewed on the BBC Radio 1 and The Official Charts Company website.Digital...

     chart.
  • "Someday" and "Whenever" had charted in 2011. The first was featured in the 2010 movie Knight and Day and charted at number 80 on the Canadian Hot 100
    Canadian Hot 100
    The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...

     and the second at number 16 on the French Singles Chart
    Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
    The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...

    . Whenever also serves as the fourth single from the album in France
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

    , and is used to promote the album in TV spots.

Track listing

Deluxe edition

(*) denotes co-producer

Sample credits
  • "The Time (Dirty Bit)" interpolates "(I've Had) The Time of My Life
    (I've Had) The Time of My Life
    " The Time of My Life" is a song composed by Franke Previte, John DeNicola, and Donald Markowitz. It was recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, after having been selected to be the finale song for the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, by choreographer Kenny Ortega and his assistant Miranda Garrison...

    ," originally performed by Bill Medley
    Bill Medley
    William Thomas Medley is an American singer and songwriter, best known as one half of The Righteous Brothers....

     and Jennifer Warnes
    Jennifer Warnes
    Jennifer Jean Warnes is an American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. She is known for her interpretations of compositions written by herself and many others, as well as an extensive playlist as a vocalist on movie soundtracks.Between 1979 and 1987 Warnes surpassed Frank Sinatra as...

     in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing
    Dirty Dancing
    Dirty Dancing is a 1987 American romantic film. Written by Eleanor Bergstein and directed by Emile Ardolino, the film features Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the lead roles, as well as Cynthia Rhodes and Jerry Orbach...

    .
  • "Light Up The Night" contains a sample of "Children's Story
    Children's Story
    "Children's Story" is a single by British-born American hip hop artist Slick Rick, from his album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.-Reception:It's on the list of the top 100 rap songs, and is ranked #61 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop....

    " by Slick Rick
    Slick Rick
    Richard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...

    .
  • "Fashion Beats" contains a sample of "My Forbidden Lover
    My Forbidden Lover
    "My Forbidden Lover" is the second single from the band Chic's 1979 album Risqué. The song was written and produced by Chic's two frontmen, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers....

    " by Chic
    Chic (band)
    Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...

    .
  • "Love You Long Time" contains a sample of "Give It Up" by KC and the Sunshine Band
    KC and the Sunshine Band
    KC and the Sunshine Band is an American musical group. Founded in 1973 in Miami, Florida, their style has included funk, R&B, and disco. Their most well known songs include the disco hits "That's the Way ", " Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "Keep It Comin' Love", "Get Down Tonight", "Give...

    .

Personnel

Credits for The Beginning adapted from Allmusic.

  • Joshua Alvarez – composer
  • Eddie Axley – logo design
  • Jean Baptiste – composer
  • Davis Barnett – viola
  • Chris Bellman – mastering
  • Michelle Bishop – violin
  • Jennifer Bowling – marketing coordinator
  • John DeNicola – composer
  • Dennis Dennehy – publicity
  • William Derella – management
  • DJ Ammo – drum programming, Moog bass, producer, synthesizer
  • Dylan Dresdow – mixing
  • Bernard Edwards – composer
  • Stacy Ferguson – composer
  • Ghislaine Fleischmann – violin
  • Ruth Frazier – viola
  • Julie Frost – composer
  • Free School – producer
  • Larry Gold – conductor, string arrangements
  • Jaime Gomez – composer
  • Sylvia Gordon – composer
  • David Guetta – composer, drum programming, producer, synthesizer
  • Keith Harris – composer, Fender Rhodes, grand piano, piano, synthesizer
  • Julie Hovsepian – product manager
  • Tomoko Itoki – marketing
  • Neil Jacobson – A&R
  • Rodney Jerkins – composer
  • Thomas Brown – composer
  • Justin Franks (DJ Frank E
    DJ Frank E
    Justin Franks, also known as DJ Frank E, is an American DJ and record producer from Denver, Colorado. He began mixing records and later progressed to producing remixes in 2003....

    ) – producer
  • Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins – producer
  • Andy Kalyvas – mastering assistant
  • Olga Konopelsky – violin
  • Tom Kraines – cello
  • Emma Kummrow – violin
  • Tamae Lee – violin
  • Damien Leroy – composer

  • Jonathan Levine – booking
  • Josh Lopez – guitar
  • Jennie Lorenzo – cello
  • Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance
  • Donald Markowitz – composer
  • Michael McHenry – composer
  • Erica Miller – violin
  • Polo Molina – management
  • Huan Nghiem – art direction
  • Padraic 'Padlock' Kerin – engineer, production coordination
  • Charles Parker – violin
  • Allan Pineda – composer
  • Franke Previte – composer
  • Brenda Reynoso – publicity
  • Nile Rodgers – composer
  • Dante Santiago – A&R
  • Stephen Shadowen – composer
  • Pasha Shapiro – art direction
  • Hillary Siskind – publicity
  • David Sonenberg – management
  • Caleb Speir – bass
  • Anthony Taglianetti – mixing assistant
  • Gregory Teperman – violin
  • Scott Thomas – booking
  • Giorgio Tuinfort – composer, drum programming, producer, synthesizer
  • Andrew Van Meter – producer
  • Jorge Velasco – mixing assistant
  • Ricky Waters – composer
  • Ernst Weber – art direction
  • Alain Whyte – guitar
  • will.i.am – art direction, bass, composer, drum programming, engineer, executive producer, Fender Rhodes, logo design, Moog bass, producer, synthesizer
  • Ianthe Zevos – creation


Charts

Chart (2010–11) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart 8
Austrian Albums Chart 7
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) 6
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) 2
Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...

2
Czech Albums Chart 18
Dutch Albums Chart 34
French Albums Chart 1
German Albums Chart
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

2
Greek Albums Chart
Greek Albums Chart
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of...

7
Hungarian Albums Chart
Mahasz
Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary....

34
Irish Albums Chart
Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...

13
Italian Albums Chart
Federation of the Italian Music Industry
The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy....

25
Mexican Albums Chart 2
New Zealand Albums Chart 12
Scottish Albums Chart
Scottish Singles and Albums Chart
The Scottish Singles Chart and Scottish Albums Chart are charts compiled by The Official Charts Company, based on physical and digital sales in the STV North, STV Central and ITV Border regions....

13
Spanish Albums Chart 17
Swedish Albums Chart 58
Swiss Albums Chart 3
UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

8
UK Dance Albums Chart
UK Dance Chart
The UK Dance Chart is a chart compiled by The Official Charts Company from sales in record stores and digital downloads. Although the chart does not currently receive any airplay on the radio or television, the chart can be viewed on the BBC Radio 1 and The Official Charts Company website.Digital...

1
US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

6


Year-end charts

Chart (2010) Rank
German Albums Chart 52

Certifications

Country Certifications
Australia
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...

Platinum
Belgium
Ultratop 50
Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995...

Platinum
Europe Platinum
France 2× Platinum
Germany
Bundesverband Musikindustrie
The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises....

Platinum
Ireland
Irish Recorded Music Association
Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:...

Platinum
Italy Gold
Japan
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry...

Gold
Mexico Platinum
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

Platinum


Chart procession and succession

Release history

List of release dates, showing country, record label, and edition
Region Date Label Edition
Australia November 26, 2010 Universal Music
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...

Standard, Deluxe, Super Deluxe
Germany
Argentina
Poland
United Kingdom November 29, 2010 Polydor
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...

Standard
France
Hong Kong Universal Music
Mexico November 30, 2010 Interscope
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...

Greece
United States
Italy
Japan December 1, 2010 Universal Music Deluxe
Colombia
Brazil December 3, 2010

External links

  • The Beginning at Metacritic
    Metacritic
    Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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