The Less You Know, the Better
Encyclopedia
The Less You Know, the Better is the fourth studio album by American music producer DJ Shadow
. It was released on September 27, 2011 by Verve Records
. The album is his first of original material since The Outsider (2006). Like Shadow's previous efforts, the album relies heavily on sampling
; the samples used span many genres and time periods. The album sees Shadow exploring many genres and production styles, from fast-paced tracks prominently featuring guitar
s and scratching
to slow tracks featuring piano
s.
The album received mixed to positive reviews, with critics being divided over its mix of styles. General consensus among critics was that despite its shortcomings, the album was an overall solid effort and an improvement over The Outsider.
The album was preceded by the single releases "Def Surrounds Us" / "I've Been Trying" (2010) and "I Gotta Rokk" (2011), as well as the EPs I Gotta Rokk and I'm Excited (2011). Contributions to the album came from a wide range of artists including Talib Kweli
, Afrikan Boy
, Posdnuos
, and Tom Vek
.
In the time leading up to the release of the album, Shadow would gradually release preview material from the album The first of the new music to be revealed was a preview of the track "Def Surrounds Us", announced to be from his then-untitled fourth album. More material was revealed in a August 2010 gig in Antwerp, Belgium
, where Shadow played some tracks he claimed to be from his upcoming album, though stating that the album was not yet ready and that he would continue working toward having it ready for his 2011 tour. The full version of "Def Surrounds Us", along with another track, "I've Been Trying", were also revealed by Shadow on Zane Lowe
's BBC One
radio show, followed by a limited single release featuring the two tracks.
Finally, on May 10, 2011, DJ Shadow confirmed via his Facebook
page and official website that his new album, revealed to be entitled The Less You Know, the Better, was finished and that it would be released the following September.
Problems faced during the album's development included copyright and sample clearance problems, which led to the withdrawal of an EP released in support of the album, I'm Excited, and delays on the album's release. After these problems were resolved, a final release date in September was announced.
Asked to review the album, Shadow described the album as "beautiful", and stated that he hoped the album would be "timeless" and not restricted to any time period. He also explained that he wanted the album to be able to "appeal to the minds of people, and have them accept what I've done."
A theme that Shadow frequently connects to the album's title and artwork is the influence of technology in modern times
. When asked what the album's title referred to, Shadow explained about what he felt was the aggressive marketing of technology in modern times. The Internet
has also been frequently mentioned by Shadow when describing the album's title; he stated that he believes that the Internet "has been sold to us as our savior" and that as a person working in an industry "decimated by the Internet", he has experienced "a weird duality: the internet was supposed to democratize communication, but the opposite seems to have happened." The album's cover, designed by American artist Tony Papesh, depicts a smartphone
painting over the album's title; the album's cover has been connected with Shadow's stand on technology, as well as single covers and other promotional art for the album.
Shadow explained that the album's title also referred to the experiences of recording artists in the year 2011: he described some of these experiences as "a bit silly." He also described the difficulty for an artist to gain attention, explaining: "It's really hard to get people to pay attention if all you're doing is putting out an album. It only matters to people if you're wearing a meat dress
or slagging off your peers or generally behaving like an ass. So it's satire and I'm the butt of the joke."
page that the album would be released in September. The same day, he also released a EP called I Gotta Rokk, which contained remixes of material from the album. This was followed by the release of another EP, I'm Excited, on July 29, 2011. However, copyright problems caused the withdrawal of the EP and delays on the release of The Less You Know, the Better.
Shadow then stated that the album would be released on September 5. However, delays pushed the album's release to its final release date of October 3, 2011.
, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Andrew Perry of The Telegraph
stated, "The Less… upholds his debut
's pioneering spirit, by regularly straying from the constrictions of classic hip hop, striking up Latin rhythms, folky guitar-picking and [...] a hybrid of hurtling breakbeats and heavy-metal guitar." John Bush of Allmusic called the album "one of the most entertaining albums of the year, with countless moments of brilliance". Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune described the album as "essentially a mix tape of all his favorite moves, a grand tour of many of the genres and styles he's explored." He gave most praise to the album's "dark, shape-shifting mood pieces". David Amidon of PopMatters
stated that though the album felt disappointing compared to Shadow's other releases, it was still overall a solid album, stating, "[...] anyone who picks up The Less You Know has a right to be disappointed, especially considering the name of the artist on the spine. [...] But what's sometimes impossible to put into words is how, despite all an album's shortcomings and stacked odds, it's still a perfectly enjoyable listen. He also said that the album was "a return to form for Shadow, his best work since[ The] Private Press
, and, most importantly, fun to listen to." Andy Gill of The Independent
stated that the album's tracks "offer more guarded approaches to the sample-collaging process than on his previous albums", but added, "There's a pronounced shortfall of his usual joyous eclecticism here, with many pieces settling for basic repetitive sequences; some sound like little more than extended intros." Ian Wade of BBC Online stated that while the album "will only ever stand in the vast shadow that its creator has cast since releasing the unprecedented Endtroducing
", "The Less You Know, the Better isn't a bad album at all, and will likely grow into something far more impressive, something that isn't quite evident on first play. Like The Private Press
, it could be one the listener returns to down the line and wonders how it didn't initially click."
Dave Simpson of The Guardian
described the album as "a hit-and-miss affair". Rob Harvilla of Spin
similarly described the album as "equal parts frustrating and admirable", though also "nowhere near as antagonistic as 2006's hyphy-saturated The Outsider". J.R. Moores of Drowned in Sound
criticized the album for what he felt was a lack of a coherent mood, saying that the album was "more like a mixtape carefully assembled by somebody desperate to demonstrate the diversity of their musical tastes." He also gave preference to songs on the album utilizing sampled vocals ("Sad and Lonely" and "Redeemed") and instrumentals ("Enemy Lines") over songs utilizing guest vocals, noting that they were not used to their full potential. He ultimately called the album "a highly schizophrenic collection", but also an improvement from The Outsider and "a step in the right direction." Sam Richards of NME unfavorably described the album as "sound[ing] like the work of a man struggling to recall his motivations for making music in the first place."
format, and distributed through various methods. Copies of the single were given out at an August 9 DJ Shadow show in Antwerp, Belgium
. Shadow himself hid copies of the single, housed in generic blue sleeves, in assorted record shops in eastern Europe. Explaining why he chose to distribute the singles in vinyl format, Shadow explained, "I'd rather give away free vinyl than a download, because to me, downloads are so impersonal and soulless."
On May 10, 2011, Shadow released an EP, I Gotta Rokk, featuring the track of the same name and remixed material from The Less You Know, the Better. The following month, on June 7, "I Gotta Rokk" was released as the album's first single. It received generally positive reviews, with some reviews from sites such as Pitchfork Media
saying that it showed that Shadow was still capable of releasing quality material.
On July 29, 2011, a second EP, I'm Excited, was released, and was promoted as featuring material from The Less You Know, the Better. The EP's title track was also released as a single on August 1, along with an accompanying music video. However, copyright and sample clearance problems ensued, which eventually caused the withdrawal of the EP and the removal of the track "I'm Excited" from The Less You Know, the Better.
Source:
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
. It was released on September 27, 2011 by Verve Records
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
. The album is his first of original material since The Outsider (2006). Like Shadow's previous efforts, the album relies heavily on sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
; the samples used span many genres and time periods. The album sees Shadow exploring many genres and production styles, from fast-paced tracks prominently featuring guitar
Guitar
The 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...
s and scratching
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
to slow tracks featuring piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
s.
The album received mixed to positive reviews, with critics being divided over its mix of styles. General consensus among critics was that despite its shortcomings, the album was an overall solid effort and an improvement over The Outsider.
The album was preceded by the single releases "Def Surrounds Us" / "I've Been Trying" (2010) and "I Gotta Rokk" (2011), as well as the EPs I Gotta Rokk and I'm Excited (2011). Contributions to the album came from a wide range of artists including Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
, Afrikan Boy
Afrikan Boy
Olushola Ajose, better known by his stage name Afrikan Boy is a grime MC from Woolwich, London, England, originally from Nigeria. He made a guest appearance on the track "Hussel" from the M.I.A. album Kala, and is one of the initial artists M.I.A. wanted signed to her label in 2007, then titled...
, Posdnuos
Kelvin Mercer
Kelvin Mercer is a rapper, producer, and one-third of the hip hop trio De La Soul. He is known more famously by his alias Posdnuos, or simply Pos. He was born in the Bronx, New York and grew up in East Massapequa, New York.Mercer and David Jude Jolicoeur were childhood friends...
, and Tom Vek
Tom Vek
Thomas Timothy Vernon-Kell is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist musician who works under the name Tom Vek.-Career:...
.
Background and development
After the release of his 2006 album The Outsider, Shadow brought his focus less on the production of new material. However, on March 7, 2009, he announced that he was working on music from a new album. Though no release date was given, he assured that "it [would] sound different from the last one". Speaking about recording sessions for the album, Shadow stated that "the hardcore work started just after Thanksgiving of 2009." He stated that he worked "at least eight-plus hours a day at least five or six days a week" and that the making of the album took about a year.In the time leading up to the release of the album, Shadow would gradually release preview material from the album The first of the new music to be revealed was a preview of the track "Def Surrounds Us", announced to be from his then-untitled fourth album. More material was revealed in a August 2010 gig in Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, where Shadow played some tracks he claimed to be from his upcoming album, though stating that the album was not yet ready and that he would continue working toward having it ready for his 2011 tour. The full version of "Def Surrounds Us", along with another track, "I've Been Trying", were also revealed by Shadow on Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
's BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
radio show, followed by a limited single release featuring the two tracks.
Finally, on May 10, 2011, DJ Shadow confirmed via his Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page and official website that his new album, revealed to be entitled The Less You Know, the Better, was finished and that it would be released the following September.
Problems faced during the album's development included copyright and sample clearance problems, which led to the withdrawal of an EP released in support of the album, I'm Excited, and delays on the album's release. After these problems were resolved, a final release date in September was announced.
Asked to review the album, Shadow described the album as "beautiful", and stated that he hoped the album would be "timeless" and not restricted to any time period. He also explained that he wanted the album to be able to "appeal to the minds of people, and have them accept what I've done."
"I don't put out a record every year so I can see what others are doing and learn from that and see things that are happening. So I feel that a good record from me never defines 2011 -- it should be totally timeless and be able to live in any era. I think I've done that with this one. It's different at times [...] but I don't think it's a huge departure from anything I've ever done. And I think my fans who have been there since EndtroducingEndtroducing.....Endtroducing..... is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist DJ Shadow. It was released on November 19, 1996 by Mo' Wax Records. The album was conceived as an effort by Shadow to make an album completely based around sampling...
will really like this one."
Themes
Shadow has connected many themes to various aspects of the album. Speaking about the album's title, The Less You Know, the Better, Shadow explained:
"Any good album title has multiple meanings, and I like choosing titles where I find myself repeating it, almost like a mantra. But this one's partly about being stuck overnight at some airport terminal in Dallas and having CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and FoxFox News ChannelFox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
blasting my brain out for no apparent reason. I always just sit there and say, 'Who asked for this?'"
A theme that Shadow frequently connects to the album's title and artwork is the influence of technology in modern times
Modern Times
Modern Times can refer to modern history.It may also refer to:* Modern Times , a 1936 Charlie Chaplin film* Modern Times , a 1975 album by Al Stewart...
. When asked what the album's title referred to, Shadow explained about what he felt was the aggressive marketing of technology in modern times. The Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
has also been frequently mentioned by Shadow when describing the album's title; he stated that he believes that the Internet "has been sold to us as our savior" and that as a person working in an industry "decimated by the Internet", he has experienced "a weird duality: the internet was supposed to democratize communication, but the opposite seems to have happened." The album's cover, designed by American artist Tony Papesh, depicts a smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
painting over the album's title; the album's cover has been connected with Shadow's stand on technology, as well as single covers and other promotional art for the album.
Shadow explained that the album's title also referred to the experiences of recording artists in the year 2011: he described some of these experiences as "a bit silly." He also described the difficulty for an artist to gain attention, explaining: "It's really hard to get people to pay attention if all you're doing is putting out an album. It only matters to people if you're wearing a meat dress
Meat dress of Lady Gaga
American pop singer Lady Gaga wore a dress made of raw beef, which was commonly referred to by the media as the meat dress, to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Designed by Franc Fernandez and styled by Nicola Formichetti, the dress was condemned by animal rights groups and named by Time as the top...
or slagging off your peers or generally behaving like an ass. So it's satire and I'm the butt of the joke."
Release
On May 10, 2011, DJ Shadow confirmed via his FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page that the album would be released in September. The same day, he also released a EP called I Gotta Rokk, which contained remixes of material from the album. This was followed by the release of another EP, I'm Excited, on July 29, 2011. However, copyright problems caused the withdrawal of the EP and delays on the release of The Less You Know, the Better.
Shadow then stated that the album would be released on September 5. However, delays pushed the album's release to its final release date of October 3, 2011.
Critical reception
The album received generally mixed to positive reviews. It earned a collective score of 65 out of 100 from MetacriticMetacritic
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,...
, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Andrew Perry of The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
stated, "The Less… upholds his debut
Endtroducing.....
Endtroducing..... is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist DJ Shadow. It was released on November 19, 1996 by Mo' Wax Records. The album was conceived as an effort by Shadow to make an album completely based around sampling...
's pioneering spirit, by regularly straying from the constrictions of classic hip hop, striking up Latin rhythms, folky guitar-picking and [...] a hybrid of hurtling breakbeats and heavy-metal guitar." John Bush of Allmusic called the album "one of the most entertaining albums of the year, with countless moments of brilliance". Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune described the album as "essentially a mix tape of all his favorite moves, a grand tour of many of the genres and styles he's explored." He gave most praise to the album's "dark, shape-shifting mood pieces". David Amidon of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
stated that though the album felt disappointing compared to Shadow's other releases, it was still overall a solid album, stating, "[...] anyone who picks up The Less You Know has a right to be disappointed, especially considering the name of the artist on the spine. [...] But what's sometimes impossible to put into words is how, despite all an album's shortcomings and stacked odds, it's still a perfectly enjoyable listen. He also said that the album was "a return to form for Shadow, his best work since
The Private Press
The Private Press is the second full-length studio album by DJ Shadow, released on June 2, 2002 on MCA. Although not as critically well-received as his 1996 debut breakthrough Endtroducing..., The Private Press still received universal acclaim....
, and, most importantly, fun to listen to." Andy Gill of 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...
stated that the album's tracks "offer more guarded approaches to the sample-collaging process than on his previous albums", but added, "There's a pronounced shortfall of his usual joyous eclecticism here, with many pieces settling for basic repetitive sequences; some sound like little more than extended intros." Ian Wade of BBC Online stated that while the album "will only ever stand in the vast shadow that its creator has cast since releasing the unprecedented Endtroducing
Endtroducing.....
Endtroducing..... is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist DJ Shadow. It was released on November 19, 1996 by Mo' Wax Records. The album was conceived as an effort by Shadow to make an album completely based around sampling...
", "The Less You Know, the Better isn't a bad album at all, and will likely grow into something far more impressive, something that isn't quite evident on first play. Like The Private Press
The Private Press
The Private Press is the second full-length studio album by DJ Shadow, released on June 2, 2002 on MCA. Although not as critically well-received as his 1996 debut breakthrough Endtroducing..., The Private Press still received universal acclaim....
, it could be one the listener returns to down the line and wonders how it didn't initially click."
Dave Simpson of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described the album as "a hit-and-miss affair". Rob Harvilla 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...
similarly described the album as "equal parts frustrating and admirable", though also "nowhere near as antagonistic as 2006's hyphy-saturated The Outsider". J.R. Moores of Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
criticized the album for what he felt was a lack of a coherent mood, saying that the album was "more like a mixtape carefully assembled by somebody desperate to demonstrate the diversity of their musical tastes." He also gave preference to songs on the album utilizing sampled vocals ("Sad and Lonely" and "Redeemed") and instrumentals ("Enemy Lines") over songs utilizing guest vocals, noting that they were not used to their full potential. He ultimately called the album "a highly schizophrenic collection", but also an improvement from The Outsider and "a step in the right direction." Sam Richards of NME unfavorably described the album as "sound[ing] like the work of a man struggling to recall his motivations for making music in the first place."
Singles and EPs
The album's first single, "Def Surrounds Us" / "I've Been Trying", was released in 2010. Early copies of the single were typically distributed in vinylVinyl
A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
format, and distributed through various methods. Copies of the single were given out at an August 9 DJ Shadow show in Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Shadow himself hid copies of the single, housed in generic blue sleeves, in assorted record shops in eastern Europe. Explaining why he chose to distribute the singles in vinyl format, Shadow explained, "I'd rather give away free vinyl than a download, because to me, downloads are so impersonal and soulless."
On May 10, 2011, Shadow released an EP, I Gotta Rokk, featuring the track of the same name and remixed material from The Less You Know, the Better. The following month, on June 7, "I Gotta Rokk" was released as the album's first single. It received generally positive reviews, with some reviews from sites such as Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
saying that it showed that Shadow was still capable of releasing quality material.
On July 29, 2011, a second EP, I'm Excited, was released, and was promoted as featuring material from The Less You Know, the Better. The EP's title track was also released as a single on August 1, along with an accompanying music video. However, copyright and sample clearance problems ensued, which eventually caused the withdrawal of the EP and the removal of the track "I'm Excited" from The Less You Know, the Better.
Track listing
Sample credits- "Sad and Lonely" contains samples of "I'm Sad and I'm Lonely" by Susan Reed and interpolations of "Faut que je me pousse" by OffenbachOffenbach (band)Offenbach is a Quebec blues rock band, initially active from 1969 to 1985. Following a successful reunion tour in 1996, the band released a new album in 2005.-History:...
- "Warning Call" contains samples of "City Rises" by Saigon
- "Enemy Lines" contains samples of "Loved and Lost" by NazarethNazareth (band)Nazareth is a Scottish hard rock band, founded in 1968, that had several hits in the UK in the early 1970s, and established an international audience with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog. Perhaps their best-known hit single was a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts", in 1975...
- "Redeemed" contains samples of "Andra Sidan" by Trettioåriga Kriget
- "Run for Your Life" contains samples of "What I Say" by Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
- "I Gotta Rokk" contains samples of "Hot on Your Heels" and "Backseat Driver" by SteelerSteelerSteeler was an early 1980s American heavy metal band from Nashville. Band members included: Ron Keel on vocals and guitar, Michael Dunigan on lead guitar, Bobby Eva on drums and Tim Morrison on bass. In 1982, they released the single Cold Day in Hell....
and "Woman" and "Shake Yourself Alive" by The Harlemans - "Circular Logic (Front to Back)" contains samples of "Disziplin" by Klaus Krüger and "The Question" by SpectrumSpectrum (band)Spectrum is an Australian progressive rock band that formed in Melbourne in 1969 and, in its original period, remained in existence until 1973. Its members also performed under the alter-ego Indelible Murtceps...
- "(Not So) Sad and Lonely" contains samples of "I'm Sad and I'm Lonely" by Susan Reed and interpolations of "Faut que je me pousse" by OffenbachOffenbach (band)Offenbach is a Quebec blues rock band, initially active from 1969 to 1985. Following a successful reunion tour in 1996, the band released a new album in 2005.-History:...
Personnel
- Jim Abbiss – 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...
- Ross Allen – A&R
- Erik Bodin – composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
- Jamal Chalabi – management
- Pagnew M. Charlton – composer
- John Dent – 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...
- DJ Shadow (Josh Davis) – composer, arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, beats, mixing, 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...
, scratchingScratchingScratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used... - Mikael "Count" Eldridge – mixing
- Express Rising – additional production, remixingRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
- Talib KweliTalib KweliTalib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
(Talib Kweli Greene) – composer - Brett Lind – assistant
- Stanton Moore – drums
- Posdnuos (Kelvin MercerKelvin MercerKelvin Mercer is a rapper, producer, and one-third of the hip hop trio De La Soul. He is known more famously by his alias Posdnuos, or simply Pos. He was born in the Bronx, New York and grew up in East Massapequa, New York.Mercer and David Jude Jolicoeur were childhood friends...
) – composer - Yukimi NaganoYukimi NaganoYukimi Nagano is a Swedish singer-songwriter. Nagano was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden to a Japanese father and Swedish-American mother; she grew up listening to American folk because of her mother, but always had an affinity for R&B.She is the vocalist of Gothenburg-based electronic band...
– composer - Darrell SweetDarrell Sweet (musician)Darrell Antony Sweet was a drummer for the Scottish hard rock band, Nazareth...
– composer - Tony Papesh – artwork
- Susan Reed – vocals
- Rob Seiver – licensing
- Rick Vargas – assistant
- Håkan Wirenstrand – composer
- Tim Young – 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...
Source:
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | September 27, 2011 | LP LP album The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... |
Verve Verve Records Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve... , A&M A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:... |
| October 4, 2011 | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
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| United States | September 27, 2011 | CD, LP, digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... (standard edition) |
Verve Verve Records Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve... , Island Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... , Roc-a-Fella Roc-A-Fella Records Roc-A-Fella Records is a record label founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Island Def Jam Motown Music Group.-Formation and Early Years:... |
| October 4, 2011 | CD, LP, digital download (deluxe edition) | ||
| United Kingdom | October 3, 2011 | CD | Island |
| Italy | October 4, 2011 | CD | Verve |
| Australia | October 7, 2011 | CD | |