Album
Midnite Vultures
Midnite Vultures is Beck's seventh studio album, released in November 1999 on Geffen. It arrived after Odelay and the quieter Mutations, and it swings back towards the restless style-hopping that marked his earlier records. Here the mix leans into disco, electro and dance-minded rock, with plenty of alternative rock energy underneath.
It didn't match the blockbuster success of Odelay, but it was still a commercial success and drew strong reviews. It's worth hearing as the party-ready counterpart to the hushed mood that followed on Sea Change in 2002, and as a reminder of how freely Beck moved between genres at the turn of the millennium.
Midnite Vultures: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 58:26Tracklist
- 1Sexx LawsBeck3:40
- 2Nicotine & GravyBeck5:13
- 3Mixed BiznessBeck4:11
- 4Get Real PaidBeck4:20
- 5Hollywood FreaksBeck, King, Simpson3:59
- 6Peaches & CreamBeck4:54
- 7Broken TrainBeck4:11
- 8Milk & HoneyBeck and Buzz Clifford5:19
- 9Beautiful WayBeck5:44
- 10Pressure ZoneBeck3:07
- 11DebraBeck, King, Simpson13:48
- Produced by
- Beck, Mickey Petralia, Tony Hoffer, The Dust Brothers, Beck Hansen, Tony Hoffer, Mickey Petralia
- Recorded at
- Soft Studios and PCP Labs (Los Angeles)
- Recorded
- July 1998–June 1999
- Mixed by
- Beck, Michael Patterson, Mickey Petralia, Tony Hoffer
- Engineered by
- Mickey Petralia, Robert Carranza, Tony Hoffer, The Dust Brothers
- Labels
- Geffen, DGC, Bong Load
- Length
- 58:26
Line-up
- Beck · keyboard, vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocoder, choir vocals, bass synthesizer, guitar family, handclaps, background vocals, harmonica, marimba, acoustic guitar, bass guitar
- Jon Birdsong · trumpet
- David Arthur Brown · tenor saxophone
- Smokey Hormel · guitar
- Jay Dee Maness · pedal steel guitar · guest
- Roger Joseph Manning Jr. · piano, shakers, synthesizer, tambourine, clavinet, vocoder, background vocals, choir vocals, handclaps, organ, percussion, acoustic guitar, electronic drum set, guitar, keyboard, Rhodes piano
- Justin Meldal‐Johnsen · bass guitar, synthesizer, shakers, background vocals, handclaps, percussion, double bass
- Herb Pedersen · banjo · guest
- David Ralicke · trombone
- Arnold McCuller · background vocals
- Valerie Pinkston · background vocals
- Eve Butler · violin · guest
- David Campbell · viola · guest
- Larry Corbett · cello · guest
- Joel Derouin · violin · guest
- DJ Swamp · turntable · guest
- Tony Hoffer · guitar · guest
- Joey Waronker · drums (drum set), percussion, membranophone
- The Dust Brothers · turntable · guest
- Arroyo Bombers · choir vocals · guest
- Arroyo Tabernacle Men's Chorale · choir vocals · guest
- Johnny Marr · electric guitar · guest
- Greg Leisz · pedal steel guitar · guest
- Beth Orton · background vocals · guest
- Steve Baxter · horn, background vocals · guest
- Fernando Pullum · horn · guest
- Joe Turano · horn, background vocals · guest
Singles
- “Sexx Laws” · 25 October 1999
- “Mixed Bizness” · 7 March 2000
- “Nicotine & Gravy” · July 2000
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1999 | 19 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1999 | 34 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1999 | 3 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1999 | 8 |
| French Albums · 1999 | 19 |
| Scottish Albums · 1999 | 22 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten) · 1999 | 26 |
| Swedish Albums · 1999 | 29 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1999 | 32 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1999 | 33 |
All 15 charts
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1999 | 34 |
| Austrian Albums · 1999 | 41 |
| Swiss Albums · 1999 | 42 |
| German Albums · 1999 | 46 |
| Dutch Albums · 1999 | 88 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 2026 | Gold |
| Canada | Platinum |
| Japan · 1999 | Gold |
| United Kingdom | Gold |
| United States | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
73.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
4.5k
ListenBrainz listeners
57k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
8.5k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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1993
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1994
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1994
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1994
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2000
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1999-11-15 vs 1999-11-20 (musicbrainz), 1999-11-16 (wikidata+wikipedia alt)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 20 November 1999 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 15 November 1999 | |
| Wikidata | 16 November 1999 | |
| Wikipedia (other date) | 16 November 1999 (US) | |
| US release | 16 November 1999 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 22 November 1999 | earliest UK or European date |
13 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | AU | Geffen | 606949052720 | other |
| 1999 | XE | Geffen | 606949048525 | other |
| 20 November 1999 | JP | Geffen | 4988067041661 | original |
| 22 November 1999 | GB | Geffen | 606949052720 | other |
| 23 November 1999 | US | DGC Records | 606949048525 | other |
| 23 November 1999 | CA | Geffen | 606949052720 | other |
| 23 November 1999 | US | DGC Records | 606949048525 | other |
| 23 November 1999 | US | DGC Records | 606949048525 | other |
| 2000 | US | Bong Load Records | 708474004615 | other |
| 21 November 2003 | JP | — | 4988005348951 | other |
| 10 August 2004 | US | Interscope Records | other | |
| 17 May 2006 | JP | Geffen | 4988005429582 | other |
| 21 March 2012 | JP | Geffen | 4988005700018 | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| coverartarchive | 2811×2760 | cropped |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |