The Beta Band | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Their sound veering from post-grunge balladry to funk and ambient breakbeat to Madchester acid house, the Beta Band emerged on the British scene as (nominally) a pop group with few similarities to any other act going. Formed around three friends originally from Edinburgh -- vocalist Steve Mason, drummer Robin Jones, and DJ/sampler John Maclean -- the group later drafted bassist Richard Greentree. Scant months after forming, the Beta Band added a formidable ally in gaining exposure: manager Brian Cannon, the designer responsible for virtually every Oasis sleeve released to that point. The groups first EP, 1997s Champion Versions, featured mixing by the Verves Nick McCabe. Two additional EPs followed in early 1998, The Patty Patty Sound and Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos. After collecting all three EPs on an album, the Beta Band began recording for their proper debut, a self-titled effort released in 1999. While prepping for the release of their sophomore effort, Hot Shots II, in summer 2001, the Beta Band scored the opening slot on Radioheads monumental summer tour of the United States. Initial recordings for their next LP began around the same time; after self-producing the record and subsequently passing it over to Nigel Godrich for a final mix, the group released Heroes to Zeros in spring 2004. Just a few months later, the Beta Band announced they would disband at the end of 2004, citing the frustration of much critical praise but no commercial impact. The Best of the Beta Band -- a two-disc package containing one of their last performances -- was released in 2005. Mason went on to release material as King Biscuit Time (which had actually debuted in 1998), Black Affair, and his own name. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 8 Title: The Patty Patty Sound Released: 1998-03-02 Tracks: 4 Duration: 37:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Inner Meet Me (06:20) 2 The House Song (07:15) 3 The Monolith (15:49) 4 Shes the One (08:20) |
 | Album: 2 of 8 Title: Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos Released: 1998-07-20 Tracks: 4 Duration: 17:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Push It Out (05:22) 2 It’s Over (03:50) 3 Dr. Baker (04:08) 4 Needles in My Eyes (04:32) |
 | Album: 3 of 8 Title: The Three E.P.’s Released: 1998-09-28 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:18:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dry the Rain (06:05) 2 I Know (03:58) 3 B + A (06:35) 4 Dogs Got a Bone (05:58) 5 Inner Meet Me (06:20) 6 The House Song (07:15) 7 Monolith (15:48) 8 She’s the One (08:21) 9 Push It Out (05:22) 10 It’s Over (03:50) 11 Dr. Baker (04:08) 12 Needles in My Eyes (04:32) |
| The Three E.P.’s : Allmusic album Review : That Oasis and Radiohead, the two biggest names in U.K. rock during the 90s, separately made claims in 1999 about creating a "Beta Band record" (even though neither band actually did) speaks volumes about the impact of The 3 E.P.s. With reference points literally all across the map, the Beta Band still managed a sound that was startlingly fresh, broadly appealing to fans of jam bands, indie rock, electronica, and Brit-pop, which is no small feat in and of itself. Rather than a full-length debut, per se, The 3 E.P.s is, as the name suggests, a collection of three limited-edition EPs which were released between 1997 and 1998 on the U.K. indie Regal Records. As such, the songs display an off-the-cuff charm which is as refreshing as it is unforced, revealing a natural progression by the band from humble folk/indie rock beginnings ("Dry the Rain," made famous in a brilliant scene in 2000s High Fidelity) to full-out psychedelic pop endings ("Needles in My Eye"). Throughout The 3 E.P.s, rather than employing the typical verse-chorus-verse song structure exhausted by 90s alternative rock, the Beta Band successfully mines Krautrock, the Canterbury Scene, hip-hop drum loops, and even 70s funk and soul to build their songs around infectious beats, grooves, and melodies. And while many of the songs cause instant head-bobbing (witness High Fidelity), they are also helped along by Stephen Masons alternately mantra-like and free-association vocal lines, which also manage to display a trace of sadness and introspection amid hippie-ish come-together sentiments. Despite a couple of experimental clunkers (the overly long instrumental "Monolith" and the rap during "The House Song"), it is precisely the Beta Bands skill at juxtaposition which prevents The 3 E.P.s in being merely an exercise in met expectations (like the vast majority of 90s alternative rock). Although much of the albums popularity stemmed from its contrast with the tedious state of music upon its release, The 3 E.P.s indeed transcends on many levels. Only a band without anything to lose or gain could create music like this, and in the end eclecticism has and will rarely sound better. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 8 Title: The Beta Band Released: 1999-06-21 Tracks: 10 Duration: 1:02:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Beta Band Rap (04:41) 2 It’s Not Too Beautiful (08:30) 3 Simple Boy (02:18) 4 Round the Bend (04:56) 5 Dance O’er the Border (05:33) 6 Brokenupadingdong (04:46) 7 Number 15 (06:49) 8 Smiling (08:35) 9 The Hard One (10:06) 10 The Cow’s Wrong (05:49) |
| The Beta Band : Allmusic album Review : Though dismissed by the group themselves as "f*cking awful" and "the worst record made this year," the Beta Bands self-titled album otherwise defies simple criticism -- seemingly infinite in its sonic complexities, its an album of remarkable density and detail, a brashly schizophrenic freak-out which weaves its way throughout the history of rock & roll. Pop, blues, folk, psychedelia, hip-hop -- theyre all here, sometimes even colliding within the same song; the disc somehow sounds almost completely different with each successive listen, consistently revealing new layers and possibilities. It all constantly runs the risk of collapsing into complete self-indulgence, but in its way the Beta Bands genius is their wanton disregard for niceties like verses, choruses, and melodies; rejecting musical theory in favor of the chaos theory, the albums neither a masterpiece nor a mess, but both. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 8 Title: Hot Shots II Released: 2001-07-07 Tracks: 10 Duration: 45:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Squares (03:46) 2 Al Sharp (03:34) 3 Human Being (04:31) 4 Gone (03:41) 5 Dragon (04:56) 6 Broke (04:40) 7 Quiet (04:49) 8 Alleged (05:30) 9 Life (03:50) 10 Eclipse (06:36) |
| Hot Shots II : Allmusic album Review : Following an LP that was slagged by even the group themselves before release, the Beta Band got down to business for their second proper record. While their self-titled debut reveled in a near-blinding collage of samples, synthpads, noise, and obtuse figures, for Hot Shots II the group took a much different path. Many of the tracks are (comparatively) quiet songs, the productions pared down to minimal proportions and focused on slow, darkly descending chords. The bands methods are innovative as before, but now theyve taken on the challenge of saying more with less -- with fewer production fragments to obscure the songs, theyre left to survive on their own. During the opener "Squares," a minute passes before the song even begins to make sense; a few glimpses of beats and basslines are the only accompaniment to Stephen Masons chanted vocals, until the chorus sweeps in to reveal a tight, beautiful trip-hop-with-strings production. "Gone" does well with just bass, piano, and background vocals from the band. Elsewhere, the Beta Band rely on spare bits -- stuttered acoustic guitar samples, whining melodica, regal horns in the background -- to get their point across, but arent afraid to rock out either. While the songwriting certainly isnt direct, its much less consciously inscrutable compared to the madcap toss-offs spread over The Beta Band. Understandably suspicious when the group promised an even better record their second time out, listeners have the proof with Hot Shots II. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 8 Title: Heroes to Zeros Released: 2004-04-26 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Assessment (04:34) 2 Space (03:59) 3 Lion Thief (03:27) 4 Easy (02:32) 5 Wonderful (04:39) 6 Troubles (02:33) 7 Out-Side (04:06) 8 Space Beatle (03:41) 9 Rhododendron (01:36) 10 Liquid Bird (03:23) 11 Simple (03:45) 12 Pure For (03:53) |
| Heroes to Zeros : Allmusic album Review : The Beta Band have rarely pronounced themselves happy with their own work, seemingly oblivious to the fact that its usually quite good. (Once, the public sniping began before an album had even appeared in the stores.) From all reports, Heroes to Zeros, their first complete self-production since reaching a major label, has finally contented the group. And though theyve succeeded in their attempts to make their music more direct and compact, the album is still clearly the work of the same methodically shambolic Beta Band of old -- the perfect balance of straight-ahead and ahead-of-the-curve. Beginning with their first three EPs, the groups subversive performances only barely masked their inspired melodies and Stephen Masons distinctive voice. (If he were a pianist, hed be using the black keys often and exploring the new notes that arise when striking two keys at the same time.) Their first two full-lengths were beautiful, but stubbornly so, as though the group were keeping a wonderful secret and didnt want it to get out. Bored with the prosy material of the past, the Beta Band decided to focus on their talents at crafting pop music, and fortunately, they didnt jettison their uncommon sound in the process. "Assessment," the opener and first single, begins as a very direct, slightly beguiling U2 castoff, but roars to the finish with a charged horn section. During a perfect middle section for the record, "Wonderful" and "Troubles" begin as warped glosses on a pair of archetypes (the love song and the world-weary song, respectively) but end as majestic, surprisingly tender performances; the group then detours into "Out-Side," a ragged pop freakout worthy of Super Furry Animals, kicked off by sampled dog barks. "Space Beatle" separates its skeletal, haunted verses from the full flower of its precise chorus by a landslide of sludgy tape excess. As producers, the quartet are still heavily influenced by two aspects of the Beach Boys: the cyclical, segmented flair of "Good Vibrations" or "Heroes and Villains" and, at other times, the detached chillout pop of 20/20 and Friends. Its clear why the Beta Band have become their own best producers: their songs and ideas are so intricate that no single production approach could work on the same album, or even the same song. No outside producer could get the best out of them without living these songs for months beforehand. With songs that end up miles away from where they began and excellent pacing (both within songs and throughout the entire album), Heroes to Zeros is yet another triumph for the Beta Band and confirmation that theyre at their most powerful and effective when working as a self-contained unit. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 8 Title: The Best of The Beta Band: Music Released: 2005-10-03 Tracks: 29 Duration: 2:32:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dry the Rain (06:05) 2 Inner Meet Me (06:20) 3 Shes the One (08:20) 4 Dr. Baker (04:08) 5 It’s Not Too Beautiful (08:30) 6 Smiling (edit) (04:02) 7 To You Alone (04:51) 8 Squares (03:46) 9 Human Being (radio edit) (04:00) 10 Gone (03:41) 11 Broke (radio edit) (03:01) 12 Assessment (radio edit) (03:52) 13 Easy (02:32) 14 Wonderful (04:39) 15 Troubles (02:33) 16 Simple (03:45) 1 Its Not Too Beautiful (08:09) 2 Squares (05:41) 3 Inner Meet Me (05:21) 4 Simple (04:05) 5 Shes the One (07:49) 6 Easy (02:41) 7 Dr Baker (05:50) 8 Dry the Rain (08:07) 9 Quiet (05:45) 10 Broke (07:09) 11 Assessment (04:39) 12 Dogs Got a Bone (05:09) 13 House Song (07:24) |
| The Best of The Beta Band: Music : Allmusic album Review : Any Betas fan is bound to have at least one problem with the selection of tracks on Best of the Beta Band: Music. Thats to be expected. One notion that nearly every fan will agree on, however, is that each of the bands albums has its own identity and would be better off left, and therefore experienced, intact. (The real nuts griped when the first three EPs were simply bound together.) You do want the albums, from front to back, with all the exposed seams and strokes of genius tied together, as they were intended to be heard. But this is a fine point of entry, containing the five proper singles and most of the other best-known moments, including a lumbering anthem that crosses Primal Screams "Loaded" with Harvest folk-rocker Michael Chapmans "It Didnt Work Out" ("Dry the Rain"), a bewildering epic (that tries not to be an epic) with incidental orchestral sweeps ("Its Not Too Beautiful"), and a gorgeously spare ballad that might or might not be about an alien who lost his memory and fell in love after wrecking his spacecraft ("Gone"). | ||
 | Album: 8 of 8 Title: The Regal Years: 1997-2004 Released: 2013-10-07 Tracks: 86 Duration: 7:26:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dry the Rain (06:05) 2 I Know (03:58) 3 B + A (06:35) 4 Dogs Got a Bone (05:59) 5 Inner Meet Me (06:19) 6 The House Song (07:15) 7 The Monolith (15:43) 8 Shes the One (08:26) 9 Push It Out (05:22) 10 Its Over (03:50) 11 Dr. Baker (04:08) 12 Needles in My Eyes (04:32) 1 The Beta Band Rap (04:40) 2 Its Not Too Beautiful (08:30) 3 Simple Boy (02:17) 4 Round the Bend (04:56) 5 Dance Oer the Border (05:33) 6 Brokenupadingdong (04:46) 7 Number 15 (06:49) 8 Smiling (08:36) 9 The Hard One (10:04) 10 The Cows Wrong (05:53) 11 Dance OEr the Border (09:12) 12 The Hard One (Manmouse remix) (05:28) 1 Squares (03:46) 2 Al Sharp (03:34) 3 Human Being (04:31) 4 Gone (03:41) 5 Dragon (04:56) 6 Broke (04:40) 7 Quiet (04:49) 8 Alleged (05:30) 9 Life (03:50) 10 Eclipse (06:36) 11 To You Alone (04:51) 12 Sequinsizer (06:46) 13 Won (05:59) 14 [unknown] (02:46) 15 Squares (Bloah mix) (04:57) 16 Quiet (acoustic) (03:55) 17 Squares (Roman Nose mix) (04:14) 1 Assessment (04:34) 2 Space (03:59) 3 Lion Thief (03:27) 4 Easy (02:32) 5 Wonderful (04:39) 6 Troubles (02:34) 7 Out-Side (04:06) 8 Space Beatle (03:41) 9 Rhododendron (01:36) 10 Liquid Bird (03:23) 11 Simple (03:47) 12 Pure For (03:54) 13 Out-Side (Roman Nose remix) (02:32) 14 Assessment (C Swings Bootleg mix) (04:54) 15 Shrek (03:54) 16 Out-Side (Depth Charge remix) (06:21) 1 Dry the Rain (08:23) 2 The Monolith (05:57) 3 B + A (06:46) 4 Shepherds Dub (04:52) 5 The Hard One (09:20) 6 Brokenupadingdong (04:28) 7 Dogs Got a Bone (05:16) 8 Out-Side (02:36) 9 Inner Meet Me (05:00) 10 Out-Side (03:57) 11 Shes the One (06:26) 12 Dry the Rain (07:49) 13 Broke (05:01) 1 Idea for House Track (01:39) 2 Longer Idea for Above (04:37) 3 Bed in the Sunlight (04:17) 4 B an A (05:29) 5 Inner Meet Me (05:15) 6 Life (04:17) 7 Human Being (06:04) 8 Dogs Got a Bone (05:16) 9 Out-Side (04:06) 10 Simple (03:54) 11 Squares (05:42) 12 Simple (03:55) 13 Easy (02:41) 14 Dr. Baker (05:50) 15 Quiet (05:44) 16 The House Song (07:05) |
| The Regal Years: 1997-2004 : Allmusic album Review : This exhaustive, six-part, Parlophone-issued box set collects all three of the British cult folktronica pioneers studio albums (The Beta Band [1999], Hot Shots II [2001], and Heroes to Zeros [2004]), complete with bonus cuts, 1998s Three E.P.s collection, and two discs of supplemental material, one with live BBC sessions and the other with unreleased demos and live performances. Beginning the bands signature tune, "Dry the Rain," and ending with a live rendition at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire of the Hip-Hop-fueled "House Song," The Regal Years 1997-2004 leaves no stone unturned, providing longtime fans and the newly converted with all the Beta Band that they will likely ever get. | ||