The Headphone Masterpiece
The Headphone Masterpiece | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 2002 | |||
Studio | Home recording (credited as "The Sonic Promiseland") in Valley Village, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 98:10 | |||
Label | Ready Set Go! | |||
Producer | Cody Chesnutt | |||
Cody Chesnutt chronology | ||||
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The Headphone Masterpiece is the debut album by American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
After unsuccessfully shopping the album to record companies, Chesnutt distributed it himself on his website before releasing it again through his own label Ready, Set, Go! on September 24, 2002. The album charted for one week on the
Recording and production
After his band
Music and lyrics
A 36-song
Chesnutt's lyrics mix irony and sincerity.[4] He wrote the album to express the complexity of his personal experiences, such as falling in love with his wife, rock and roll, and reconciling his love for the music with the trappings of the rock lifestyle.[1] Pitchfork journalist Rob Mitchum wrote that "Serve This Royalty" celebrates Chesnutt's "cultural sect", and "The Seed" mixes his "hypersexual egotism" with "a tone of evolutionary bravado."[9] On the former song, Chesnutt sings "Thank you Jesus / For my mama / Thank you bitches / For my money". He said of recording the song, "I woke up, went to the organ, and played these chords".[4] Following "Bitch, I'm Broke", the album features a suite of songs written about Chesnutt's wife and the pleasures of monogamy.[4]
Marketing and sales
Chesnutt shopped the album around to record companies, but they mistook it for a demo and rejected it. They encouraged him to reproduce it smoothly, rearrange the drums, and rerecord his vocals.[4] He said in an interview for Vibe at the time, "I refuse to re-record it – that defeats the purpose. What about the experience I had in my bedroom? To go back to the studio, I'd be chasing something. If you're listening to it and you love it, then it's already done what it's supposed to do."[4] In September 2002, Chesnutt made the album available through his website,[10] and released it on September 24 on his own label Ready, Set, Go![4]
Chesnutt performed at clubs in Los Angeles in the album's promotion.
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | [13] |
Drowned in Sound | 8/10[3] |
eMusic | [7] |
Mojo | [14] |
Pitchfork | 7.4/10[9] |
Rolling Stone | [15] |
Uncut | [16] |
The Headphone Masterpiece was well received by most critics. Reviewing the album in Rolling Stone, Tom Moon hailed it as "one of the most emotionally raw albums of the year" and a record that "gathered musical strands from all over the pop universe into unadorned, remarkably intimate stream-of-consciousness musings on love, money and responsibility".[15] AllMusic's Mike Gowan called it a "lo-fi gem" and "an eclectic celebration of sound",[6] while Uncut said it is "an awesome declaration of intent" and, "although decidedly lo-fi, this epic, adventurous and mischievous album bears comparison with Prince and Todd Rundgren (at their respective peaks)."[16] Matt Diehl from Spin regarded the music as "indie soul that traverses the chasm between Shuggie Otis and Guided by Voices".[17] Writing for Vibe, Dream Hampton said it is "everything that many roots and retro artists have reached for, pure and straightforward; yet it is thoroughly modern in its outlook, inventive and unsentimental, with both feet in the future."[4]
Some reviewers expressed reservations.
Track listing
All songs were written, arranged, and produced by Cody Chesnutt.[5]
Disc one
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Disc two
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Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[5]
- Cody Chesnutt – arranger, composer, engineer, mixing, vocals
- Brian Gardner – mastering
- RH – saxophone (track 6)
- Sonja Marie – vocals (track 2)
- Talley Thomas – background vocals (track 27), dialogue (track 24)
Charts
Chart (2003) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard 200[11] | 128 |
U.S. Top Independent Albums[11]
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6 |
References
- ^ a b c d e Robinson, Knox (2002). The Fader (12). New York: 135.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - ^ "Cody ChesnuTT – Headphone Masterpiece CD Album". CD Universe. Muze. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ a b Nettleton, Chris (July 26, 2003). "Cody ChesnuTT – The Headphone Masterpiece". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hampton, Dream (September 2002). "The Art of Noise". Vibe. 10 (9). New York: 206. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ gatefold LP). Cody Chesnutt. Ready Set Go!. 2002. TPLP345.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ^ Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ a b Sherburne, Philip (September 16, 2008). "Cody ChesnuTT, The Headphone Masterpiece". eMusic. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ Levy, Jared (August 24, 2011). "Cody ChesnuTT – The Headphone Masterpiece". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c Mitchum, Rob (January 14, 2003). "Cody ChesnuTT: The Headphone Masterpiece". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "Breaking & Entering". Billboard. March 30, 2003. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c "The Headphone Masterpiece – Cody ChesnuTT". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "Review: The Headphone Masterpiece". Blender. November 2002.
- ^ "Consumer Guide Reviews: The Headphone Masterpiece". Robert Christgau. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
- ^ a b "Review: The Headphone Masterpiece". Mojo. London: 106. September 2003.
- ^ a b Moon, Tom (October 3, 2002). "The Headphone Masterpiece : Cody ChesnuTT : Review". Rolling Stone. No. 906. New York. Archived from the original on March 26, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b "Review: The Headphone Masterpiece". Uncut. London: 91. June 2003. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ Diehl, Matt (July 21, 2003). "Bands to Watch: Cody Chesnutt". Spin. New York. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (December 18, 2002). "Cody ChesnuTT: The Headphone Masterpiece". The A.V. Club. Chicago. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (March 25, 2003). "As Long as I Still Can". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
Further reading
- Tucker, Ken (January 22, 2003). "Music Review: 'The Headphone Masterpiece' from Cody Chesnutt". Fresh Air.
External links
- The Headphone Masterpiece at Discogs (list of releases)