Album · 20 years old this year
The Information
The Information is Beck's tenth studio album, released on 3 October 2006 on Interscope Records. It was produced and mixed by Nigel Godrich, who had already worked with him on Mutations and Sea Change, so it reunites one of the most fruitful partnerships in his catalogue. The sound draws on alternative rock and alternative hip-hop, with rap rock in the mix too.
It sits straight after Guero in his story, and the two records overlap more than you might expect. Recording for The Information ran from 2003 to 2006, while Beck was also making Guero with the Dust Brothers. Hearing the two together shows him working with different collaborators at the same time. Critics received it warmly, and it turned up on several publications' year-end lists, which makes it well worth revisiting.
The Information: tracklist, credits and charts
16 tracks · 1:05:18Tracklist
- 1Elevator Music3:38
- 2Think I'm in LoveBeck3:19
- 3Cellphone's DeadBeck4:46
- 4Strange Apparition3:48
- 5Soldier Jane3:59
- 6NauseaBeck2:56
- 7New Round3:26
- 8Dark Star3:45
- 9We Dance Alone3:57
- 10No Complaints3:00
- 111000 BPM2:29
- 12Motorcade4:15
- 13The Information3:46
- 14Movie Theme3:53
- 15The Horrible Fanfare / Landslide / ExoskeletonBeck and Nigel Godrich10:37
- 16Inside Out3:44
- Produced by
- Nigel Godrich
- Recorded at
- Ocean Way (Los Angeles), Conway (Los Angeles), Sound Isadore (Los Angeles), Beck's garage (Los Angeles)
- Recorded
- 2003–2006
- Labels
- Interscope Records, Interscope
- Length
- 1:05:18
Line-up
- Beck · acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica, keyboard, melodica, organ, percussion, piano, sitar, lead vocals
- Stevie Blacke · cello, percussion, background vocals
- Sean Davis · bass guitar
- Jason Falkner · acoustic guitar, bass guitar, drums (drum set), electric guitar, Moog, percussion, background vocals
- James Gadson · drums (drum set), percussion, background vocals
- Nigel Godrich · keyboard, percussion, tambourine, background vocals
- Greg Kurstin · acoustic guitar, bass synthesizer, berimbau, keyboard, piano, synthesizer, background vocals
- Henry Mason · drums (drum set)
- Justin Stanley · acoustic guitar, electric guitar, flute, percussion, background vocals
- Joey Waronker · drums (drum set), percussion, background vocals
Singles
- “Nausea” · 29 August 2006
- “Cellphone's Dead” · 2 October 2006
- “Think I'm in Love” · 2006
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 2006 | 7 |
| US Top Rock Albums · 2006 | 3 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2006 | 6 |
| Danish Albums · 2006 | 15 |
| Norwegian Albums · 2006 | 20 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2006 | 22 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2006 | 26 |
| Italian Albums · 2006 | 29 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2006 | 31 |
| Swiss Albums · 2006 | 32 |
All 17 charts
| New Zealand Albums · 2006 | 37 |
| Finnish Albums · 2006 | 39 |
| French Albums · 2006 | 40 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2006 | 50 |
| Austrian Albums · 2006 | 56 |
| Dutch Albums · 2006 | 58 |
| German Albums · 2006 | 78 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada | Gold |
| United States | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
65.6
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
3.7k
ListenBrainz listeners
34k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
4.0k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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Full discography →
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1993
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1994
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1994
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1994
Mellow Gold
1994
One Foot in the Grave
1994
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1995
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1996
Beck The New Pollution and Other Favorites 1997
The New Pollution and Other Favorites
1997
Mutations
1998
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
Modern Guilt
2008
Defriended (Extended Version)
2013
Morning Phase
2014
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2014
Colors
2017
Paisley Park Sessions
2019
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2019
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2026
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 2006-10-02 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 2 October 2006 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 3 October 2006 | |
| Wikidata | 3 October 2006 | |
| US release | 3 October 2006 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 2 October 2006 | earliest UK or European date |
14 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 October 2006 | GB | Interscope Records | 602517078307 | original |
| 2 October 2006 | FR | — | 0602517078291 | original |
| 2 October 2006 | GB | Interscope Records | 602517076983 | original |
| 2 October 2006 | XE | Interscope Records | 602517078291 | original |
| 3 October 2006 | US | Interscope Records | 602517070097 | other |
| 3 October 2006 | US | Interscope Records | 602517067172 | other |
| 3 October 2006 | RU | Interscope Records | 4605026009202 | other |
| 3 October 2006 | CA | Interscope Records | 602517067172 | other |
| 3 October 2006 | US | Interscope Records | 602517070080 | other |
| 6 October 2006 | DE | Interscope Records | 0602517078291 | other |
| 6 October 2006 | JP | Interscope Records | 4988005448767 | other |
| 27 February 2007 | US | Interscope Records | 602517203556 | deluxe |
| 2008 | US | Artists in Residence | other | |
| 2014 | US | Interscope Records | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| coverartarchive | 2817×2796 | cropped |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |