Mellow Gold

Mellow Gold is the second studio album by alternative rock musician Beck, as well as his major label debut. Mellow Gold was released on March 1, 1994 (see 1994 in music) on the strength of the surprise hit "Loser" (U.S. #10). Informed by the irreverent Gen X slacker and punk-influenced anti-folk styles of his earlier independent work, critics noted its hybrid of styles and ironic, witty lyrics. The decidedly anti-commercial attitude of Mellow Gold unexpectedly became a commercial success, and the album went platinum. Because of the novelty style of "Loser," Beck was initially perceived by some as a flash in the pan, but the subsequent release of critically-acclaimed album Odelay has long silenced these claims.

(In an effort to get the album into stores such as Wal-Mart and Kmart, which do not stock albums with a "parental advisory sticker", a "clean" version of the album was released.)

Mellow Gold reached #13 in the U.S., and #41 in the UK. As of July 2008, Mellow Gold has sold 1.2 million copies in the United States.

Track listing

1. "Loser" (Beck, Karl Stephenson) – 3:55
2. "Pay No Mind (Snoozer)" – 3:15
3. "Fuckin' With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)" – 3:41
4. "Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997" – 3:28
5. "Soul Suckin' Jerk" (Beck, Stephenson) – 3:57
6. "Truckdrivin' Neighbors Downstairs (Yellow Sweat)" – 2:55
7. "Sweet Sunshine" (Beck, Stephenson) – 4:14
8. "Beercan" (Beck, Stephenson) – 4:00
9. "Steal My Body Home" – 5:34
10. "Nitemare Hippy Girl" – 2:55
11. "Mutherfuker" – 2:04
12. "Blackhole" – 7:33
• Includes the hidden track "Analog Odyssey".

Samples

Personnel

• Beck – vocals, producer
• Mike Boito – organ (track 8)
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering
• Tom Rothrock – producer, mixing
• Rob Schnapf – producer, mixing
• Carl Stephenson – producer
• Petra Haden – violin (track 12)
• David Harte – drums (tracks 2, 10, 11)
• Rob Zabrecky – bass (track 12)
• Robert Fisher – art direction, design
• Ross Harris – photography

External links

• 10 Years of Mellow Gold Documentary (retrospective documentary done for anniversary of the album)

References