Beautiful Freak

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Beautiful Freak
Beautifulfreak.jpg
Studio album by Eels
Released August 13, 1996
Recorded 1996
Genre
Length 43:53
Language English
Label DreamWorks
Producer
Eels chronology
Beautiful Freak
(1996)		 Electro-Shock Blues
(1998)Electro-Shock Blues1998
Singles from Beautiful Freak
  1. "Novocaine for the Soul"
    Released: February 3, 1996
  2. "Susan's House"
    Released: May 5, 1996
  3. "Rags to Rags"
    Released: 1996
  4. "Your Lucky Day in Hell"
    Released: September 1, 1996
  5. "Beautiful Freak"
    Released: 1997

Beautiful Freak is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Eels. It was released on 13 August 1996 and was the first record released by record label DreamWorks.

Four singles were released to promote the album: "Novocaine for the Soul", in February 1996; "Susan's House", in May; "Your Lucky Day in Hell", in September; and "Beautiful Freak", the following year.

Content

Beautiful Freak is largely the solo work of musician Mark Oliver Everett. It is his first album using the full band name Eels, in an attempt to get the records in the same general location in the stores as his previous works under the name "E".[1] The album is produced by E, Jon Brion, Mark Goldenberg and Michael Simpson.

Album cover

Everett had suggested having a little girl with big eyes on the cover. The girl that came in to have her picture taken, Elle Brosh, incidentally looked "like a miniature Susan" to Everett, a girlfriend of his a few years before and the subject of the song "Susan's House".[1]

Release

Beautiful Freak was released on August 13, 1996 by record label DreamWorks. The album peaked at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart.[2]

Four singles were released to promote the album: "Novocaine for the Soul", in February 1996; "Susan's House", in May; "Your Lucky Day in Hell", in September; and "Beautiful Freak", the following year.

The April 14, 1997 German release of the album included a bonus live EP from a BBC recording session.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars[3]
Chicago Tribune 2/4 stars[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music 5/5 stars[5]
Entertainment Weekly B[6]
Los Angeles Times 3.5/4 stars[7]
Q 4/5 stars[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide 3/5 stars[9]
Select 5/5[10]

In a contemporary review of Beautiful Freak, Ethan Smith of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "the Eels' postgrunge pop melodies and quirky, intelligent production make for catchy modern rock that's miles ahead of the competition", but felt that E's "attempts at warts-and-all portrayals of urban life come off as a disingenuous, arty pose" and that "a little less pretension would get these guys a lot further."[6] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice assigned the album a "dud" rating,[11] indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought."[12]

In his retrospective review, James Chrispell of AllMusic wrote: "Concise pop tunes form the backbone of the album, yet tinges of despair and downright meanness surface just when you've been lulled into thinking this is another pop group".[3]

Legacy

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[13]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Mark Oliver Everett, except as noted. 

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Novocaine for the Soul"   Everett, Mark Goldenberg 3:08
2. "Susan's House"   Everett, Jim Jacobsen, Jim Weatherly 3:43
3. "Rags to Rags"     3:53
4. "Beautiful Freak"     3:34
5. "Not Ready Yet"   Everett, Jon Brion 4:46
6. "My Beloved Monster"     2:13
7. "Flower"   Everett and Jacobsen 3:38
8. "Guest List"     3:13
9. "Mental"     4:01
10. "Spunky"     3:11
11. "Your Lucky Day in Hell"   Everett, Goldenberg 4:28
12. "Manchild"   Everett, Jill Sobule 4:05


Samples
  • "Novocaine For The Soul" contains samples of "Let the Four Winds Blow" by Fats Domino
  • "Susan's House" contains sample of "Love Finds Its Own Way" by Gladys Knight & the Pips
  • "Guest List" contains sample of "I like it" by The Emotions
  • "Flower" contains sample of "I'm Glad You're Mine" by Al Green

Personnel

Eels
Additional musicians
Technical

References

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