Album
Mutations
Mutations is Beck's sixth studio album, released on 3 November 1998 by DGC Records. It arrived two years after Odelay, the record that made his name, and it turned away from that album's collage of samples and beats towards something quieter, folk-leaning and lo-fi in feel.
It didn't match Odelay's commercial reach, but it won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. It sits between Odelay and Midnite Vultures in his catalogue, and it makes a good first stop if you know Beck mainly as the restless genre-hopper and want to hear him in a more reflective, stripped-back mood.
Mutations: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 49:18Tracklist
- 1Cold BrainsBeck3:42
- 2Nobody's Fault but My OwnBeck5:03
- 3Lazy FliesBeck3:43
- 4Canceled CheckBeck3:15
- 5We Live AgainBeck3:04
- 6TropicaliaBeck3:21
- 7Dead MelodiesBeck2:36
- 8Bottle of BluesBeck4:55
- 9O MariaBeck4:00
- 10Sing It AgainBeck4:19
- 11Static / [Diamond Bollocks]Beck11:20
- Produced by
- Beck, Nigel Godrich, Beck Hansen
- Recorded at
- Ocean Way Recording (Hollywood)
- Recorded
- 19 March–3 April 1998
- Mixed by
- Nigel Godrich
- Mixed at
- Ocean Way Recording
- Mastered by
- Bob Ludwig
- Labels
- DGC Records, DGC, Bong Load
- Length
- 49:18
Line-up
- Beck · glockenspiel, guitar, harmonica, piano, vocals, slide guitar, synthesizer
- Roger Joseph Manning Jr. · synthesizer, keyboard, percussion, piano, harpsichord, organ, background vocals, electric piano · guest
- Justin Meldal‐Johnsen · bass, bass guitar, electric bass guitar, percussion, double bass, acoustic bass guitar, background vocals · guest
- Joey Waronker · drums (drum set), percussion · guest
- David Campbell · viola · guest
- Elliot Caine · trumpet · guest
- Smokey Hormel · acoustic guitar, percussion, guitar, background vocals · guest
- Greg Leisz · pedal steel guitar · guest
- David Ralicke · trombone, flute
Singles
- “Tropicalia” · 7 December 1998
- “Cold Brains” · 1 March 1999
- “Nobody's Fault but My Own” · 21 April 1999 (Japan)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1998–1999 | 13 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1998–1999 | 24 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 1998–1999 | 6 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1998–1999 | 18 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1998–1999 | 24 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1998–1999 | 24 |
| Swedish Albums · 1998–1999 | 29 |
| French Albums · 1998–1999 | 36 |
| Scottish Albums · 1998–1999 | 37 |
| Finnish Albums · 1998–1999 | 40 |
All 12 charts
| Swiss Albums · 1998–1999 | 46 |
| German Albums · 1998–1999 | 49 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada | Platinum |
| Japan · 1998 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | Gold |
| United States | Gold |
Awards
- Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album · 1999
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
70.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
3.0k
ListenBrainz listeners
47k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
10k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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Full discography →
Golden Feelings
1993
Mellow Gold Tour Sampler
1994
A Western Harvest Field by Moonlight
1994
Stereopathetic Soulmanure
1994
Mellow Gold
1994
One Foot in the Grave
1994
Beck We Are Bacteria 1995
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1995
Odelay
1996
Beck The New Pollution and Other Favorites 1997
The New Pollution and Other Favorites
1997
Midnite Vultures
1999
Stray Blues: A Collection of B-Sides
2000
Beck
2001
Sea Change
2002
Gameboy Variations (Hell Yes EP)
2005
Guero
2005
Guerolito
2005
The Information
2006
Modern Guilt
2008
Defriended (Extended Version)
2013
Morning Phase
2014
Song Reader: Twenty Songs by Beck
2014
Colors
2017
Paisley Park Sessions
2019
Hyperspace
2019
Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime
2026
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2026
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1998-11-03; musicbrainz + wikidata 1998-11-02 (1 days apart, likely another territory)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 2 November 1998 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 3 November 1998 | |
| Wikidata | 2 November 1998 | |
| US release | 3 November 1998 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 2 November 1998 | earliest UK or European date |
17 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | US | DGC Records | 265918070000 | other |
| 1998 | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| 1998 | AU | Geffen | 720642518427 | other |
| 1998 | CA | DGC Records | 265918010000 | other |
| 1998 | US | Bong Load Custom Records | 708474003915 | other |
| 2 November 1998 | GB | Geffen | 720642518427 | original |
| 2 November 1998 | DE | Geffen | 720642518823 | original |
| 3 November 1998 | US | DGC Records | 720642530924 | other |
| 3 November 1998 | US | DGC Records | 720642530948 | other |
| 3 November 1998 | JP | MCA Victor, Inc. | 4988067037268 | other |
| 3 November 1998 | CA | DGC Records | 720642530924 | other |
| 3 November 1998 | US | DGC Records | 720642530924 | other |
| 21 November 2003 | JP | Geffen | 4988005348944 | other |
| 17 May 2006 | JP | Geffen | 4988005429575 | other |
| 21 March 2012 | JP | Geffen | 4988005700001 | other |
| 2014 | US | Geffen | other | |
| 27 October 2017 | US | Bong Load Custom Records | 602557034882 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| itunes | 3000×3000 | native |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |