Deconstructing Beck
Deconstructing Beck | |
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Compilation album by Various artists | |
Released | 17 February 1998 |
Recorded | 1997–1998 |
Genre | |
Length | 54:52 |
Label | |
Producer | Philo T. Farnsworth |
Deconstructing Beck is a compilation album released on February 17, 1998, by an anonymous group posing as
Background and legacy
Deconstructing Beck is a compilation of 13 tracks created by various artists. The album was produced by the anonymous sample recording label named Illegal Art which was created by an anonymous person(s) calling himself/herself/themselves
Reappraisal
Cultural critic Steven Shaviro's article "Deconstructing Beck" uses the album as an avant-garde turning point regarding the use of appropriation and sampling in the music industry today. Shaviro's article takes issue with the legalities of sound/image ownership and copyrights. Shaviro's utilization of the controversy surrounding Beck and Deconstructing Beck bring questions such as "who owns the images and sounds around us?" and "what does it mean to own a sound?" to the surface. Beck's own music is created from various beats and rhythms of all different genres of music from multiple artists. However, Beck's recording company Geffen financially backs Beck and is able to pay the royalty and copyright fees of the samples Beck utilizes in his own songs. Since Beck's songs are paid for and legal he is considered "eclectic" and an artist of appropriation. However, those who do not have record label support and cannot afford copyright fees and continue to appropriate others' music are seen as thieves and criminals. This issue calls into question the issue of music ownership. Since recording companies leverage the money for copyright fees and serve as "watch dogs" over their clients' work, do they ultimately own music? This situation also leads the reader to question how these copyright legalities limit artist creativity and at what point is a song considered brand new? "As the contrast between Beck and Deconstructing Beck suggests, the practice of sampling can take many different forms and has a wide range of implications and meanings.[3]
Others have since reappraised the album's value as a legal experiment as well as a musical project.[4]
Track listing
No. | Title | Created by | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Paving the Road to Hell Pt2" | Mr. Meridies | 3:37 |
2. | "Puzzels & Pagans" | Jane Dowe | 2:26 |
3. | "Killer Control Enters Blackhole" | Huk Don Phun | 4:47 |
4. | "Stuck Together, Falling Apart" | Steev Hise | 5:53 |
5. | "Void Transaction" | The International Bankers | 4:09 |
6. | "Burning Today's Memory" | Corporal Blossom | 4:24 |
7. | "So Cal Weevil Dream" | Mr. Meridies | 4:04 |
8. | "One Beck in the Grave" | Evolution Control Committee | 3:16 |
9. | "Eggs Eggs, Arms Legs" | Spacklequeen | 2:59 |
10. | "Doublefolded" | Hromlegn Kainn | 6:09 |
11. | "Carpet Tunnel Syndrome" | Mr. Meridies | 4:59 |
12. | "Bust a Move" | Jane Dowe | 2:59 |
13. | "Fat Zone" | J. Teller | 4:27 |
References
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ "Illegal Beck Samples Provoke 'Cease and Desist' Orders". MTV. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ Shaviro, Steven (June–July 1998), "Illegal Art: Deconstructing Beck", ArtByte, vol. 1, no. 2, archived from the original on 6 March 2016
- ^ "Ghetto Blastin' Disintegrating: Deconstructing Beck 20 Years Later". Stereogum. 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
Further reading
- Shaviro, Steven. Connected. University of Minnesota Press, 2003
External links
- Illegal Art No. 1: Deconstructing Beck at Seeland Records (Seeland 507 - CD - 1998)
- Deconstructing Beck at Illegal Art (as of 2023 the album us listed as 'Coming Soon' but the label is listed as being on 'indefinite hiatus' after releasing over 40 titles from 1998-2012)