Midnite Vultures
by
Beck
Edit

Release type:What's this?
studio album
First released:
Nov 20 1999

Overview Edit

Midnite Vultures is the seventh (and fourth major-label) studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, released in November 1999 by Geffen Records. Though similar to most of Beck's previous albums in its exploration of widely varying musical styles, Midnite Vultures didn't achieve the same blockbuster success as his breakthrough, Odelay though it was well-received by his fans and critics and continues to receive wide acclaim.

Midnite Vultures reached #34 in the U.S., where it went gold, and also hit #19 in the UK. As of July 2008, Midnite Vultures has sold 743,000 copies in the United States.

The album was praised by most critics. Some like Rolling Stone, NME and Pitchfork Media praised the album with 4-star reviews (8.5/10 on Pitchfork). It was awarded the status of 'Universal Acclaim' by MetaCritic with a score of 83/100 but in 2006 was named the 50th 'Worst Album Ever' by music magazine Q despite the fact that they gave the album 4 stars.

Midnite Vultures was nominated in 2000 for Best Album at the 43rd Grammy Awards.

Several songs were inspired by very prominent 80s acts; "Debra" was inspired by both Prince's hit "Raspberry Beret" and the David Bowie song "Win" from Young Americans, while "Get Real Paid" quotes directly from Kraftwerk's Computer World album. Working titles for the album included Zatyricon (the name of a song released in 2000 as a B-side on the "Nicotine & Gravy" single and later included on the Beck EP) and I Can Smell the V.D. in the Club Tonight (a line from "Milk & Honey").

The first 500,000 copies came in a digipak.

The Overview appearing in this section is attributed to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnite_Vultures. Portions of this Overview may be available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, version 3.0 or any later version, available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. Additional terms may apply. See Wikipedia Terms of Use for details.

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This particular version Edit

Record label:
Catalog number:
490485
Release dates:
  • Nov 23 1999 in United States

Genres

Alternative, Alternative Rock, Dance, Electronica,
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What do Amazon.com customers think?

5 stars Beck gets it on the money!
The new Beck album is perfect. It's gorgeous. It's a delight. Do I sound hyperbolic? Or just plain hyper? "Midnite Vultures" has restored my faith in pop. Beck, I could pinch your cheek, you gangly, goony freak. What's so great about "Midnite Vultures"? "Sexx Laws", the disc's first cut, kicks out the jams all funky like, proving for a blue-eyed blond, Beck is super fly. In fact, only Prince, or the Artist Formerly Known As That Squiggly Symbol, rivals Beck in sheer funkability. Drawing from cla…
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Written by "krashbyrne"
3 stars What the funk?
I am a Beck fan no doubt, but this album gets listened to less and less by me. After playing it for a few years now, I realized that I really only like 3 songs from it: "Sexx Laws", "Mixed Bizness", and "Debra". The thing is, those songs are absolutely amazing! But the rest has just become noise to me. Some of the other tracks are good, just not real good. I can't get rid of this because of those three songs, "Mixed Bizness" is just insane, and "Debra" has the smoothest groove, and funniest lyri…
Read the full review
Written by H3@+h "Over 1500 reviews!"

Track listing Edit

  • CD

    format:
    number:
    title:
    number name artist hh:mm:ss
    1
    Sexx Laws
    3:39
    2
    Nicotine & Gravy
    5:12
    3
    Mixed Bizness
    4:10
    4
    Get Real Paid
    4:20
    5
    Hollywood Freaks
    3:59
    6
    Peaches & Cream
    4:54
    7
    Broken Train
    4:11
    8
    Milk & Honey
    5:19
    9
    Beautiful Way
    5:43
    10
    Pressure Zone
    3:06
    11
    Debra
    13:48

Credits Edit

  1. arranger

    1. Beck [horn (1,3,6)]
    2. David Campbell [string (2)]

  2. composer

    3. John King [5,11]
    4. Mike Simpson [5,11]

  3. conductor

    1. David Campbell [string (2)]

  4. design

    2. Beck [art direction]
    3. Charlie Gross [photography]
    4. Eye [artwork]
    5. Eye [art direction]
    6. Eye
    7. Gimbop [art layout]
    8. Michel Gondry [photography]

  5. engineer

    1. Beck [mix (except 7,9,10,11)]
    2. Michael Patterson [mix (except 7,9,10)]
    3. Mickey Petralia [1,2,4,7,9]
    4. Mickey Petralia [mix except 3,4,5,11]
    5. Robert Caranza [string (2)]
    7. Tony Hoffer [3,4,8,10]
    8. Tony Hoffer [mix (3,4,8,10)]

  6. performer

    1. Arnold McCuller [backing vocals (1,2,4,5)]
    3. Beck [programming (except 5,9)]
    4. Beck [vocals]
    5. Beck [keyboard (1,6,7,10)]
    6. Beck [guitar (2,67,9,10)]
    7. Beck [synthesizer (2,4,8)]
    8. Beck [piano (2)]
    9. Beck [vocoder (3,8)]
    10. Beck [choir vocal (4)]
    11. Beck [bass synthetizer (5)]
    12. Beck [backing vocals (6,7,10)]
    13. Beck [handclaps (6)]
    14. Beck [marimba (7)]
    15. Beck [harmonica (7,9)]
    16. Beck [acoustic guitar (8)]
    17. Beck [bass guitar (9)]
    18. Beth Orton [backing vocals (9)]
    19. David Brown [tenor saxophone (1,2,3,6)]
    20. David Campbell [viola (2)]
    21. David Ralicke [trombone (1,2,3,6)]
    22. DJ Swamp [scratching (2,8)]
    23. Eve Butler [violin (2)]
    24. Fernando Pullum [horn (11)]
    25. Greg Leisz [pedal steel guitar (9)]
    26. Herb Peterson [banjo (1,2)]
    27. Jay Dee Maness [pedal steel guitar (1,9)]
    28. Joe Turano [horn (11)]
    29. Joe Turano [backing vocals (11)]
    30. Joel Derouin [violin (2)]
    31. Joey Waronker [drums (3,7,8,10,11)]
    32. Joey Waronker [percussion (10)]
    33. Johnny Marr [electric guitar (8)]
    34. Jon Birdsong [trumpet (1,2,3,6)]
    35. Justin Meldal-Johnsen [bass guitar (except 9,11)]
    36. Justin Meldal-Johnsen [synthesizer (2)]
    37. Justin Meldal-Johnsen [backing vocals (3)]
    38. Justin Meldal-Johnsen [shakers (3)]
    39. Justin Meldal-Johnsen [percussion (6,7)]
    40. Justin Meldal-Johnsen [handclaps (6)]
    41. Justin Meldal-Johnsen [hammer-ons (8)]
    42. Justin Meldal-Johnsen [upright bass (11)]
    43. Larry Corbett [cello (2)]
    44. Mickey Petralia [programming (except 3,5,8,10,11)]
    45. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [synthesizer (except 9,11)]
    46. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [piano (1,2,8,10)]
    47. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [tambourine (1,9,10)]
    48. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [shakers (1,10)]
    49. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [clavinet (2,7,8)]
    50. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [vocoder (3,8)]
    51. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [backing vocals (3,10)]
    52. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [choir vocal (4)]
    53. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [organ (6,11)]
    54. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [percussion (6,7)]
    55. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [handclaps (6)]
    56. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [acoustic guitar (7)]
    58. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [electronic drum set (8)]
    59. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [keyboard (9)]
    60. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. [fender rhodes (11)]
    61. Smokey Hormel [guitar (1,3,9,11)]
    62. Steve Baxter [horn (11)]
    63. Steve Baxter [backing vocals (11)]
    64. The Dust Brothers [programming (5)]
    65. The Dust Brothers [scratching (5)]
    66. Tony Hoffer [programming (3,4,8,10)]
    67. Tony Hoffer [wah guitar (3)]
    68. Valerie Pinkten [backing vocals (1,2,4,5)]

  1. producer

  2. writer

    1. Beck [lyrics]
    3. John King [5,11]
    4. Mike Simpson [5,11]

Other versions Edit

Midnite Vultures 11 tracks format: 1 x CD
record label: Geffen Records
catalog number: 4905272
release dates: Nov 22 1999 in United Kingdom
view details
Midnite Vultures 12 tracks format: 1 x CD
record label: Interscope Records
catalog number: 490485
release dates: Nov 20 1999 in Japan
view details
Midnite Vultures 11 tracks format: 1 x CD
record label: Interscope Records
catalog number: 490485
release dates: Nov 23 1999
view details
Midnite Vultures 11 tracks format: 1 x CD
record label: Interscope Records
catalog number: 490485
release dates: Nov 23 1999
view details
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Trivia Edit

  • recorded july 1998-june 1999 at Soft Studios

Websites Edit

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