Mellow Gold

Mellow Gold is the third studio album by American musician Beck, released on March 1, 1994, by DGC Records as Beck's major label debut album. Critics noted the album's hybrid of various styles including rock, hip hop, folk, blues, psychedelia, and country,^[3] as well as ironic, witty lyrics. Its decidedly anti-commercial attitude led to it becoming an unexpected commercial success, peaking at number thirteen in the United States and eventually being certified platinum. As of July 2008, Mellow Gold has sold over 1.2 million copies in the United States.^[4]

Mellow Gold
Studio album by Beck
Released	March 1, 1994
Recorded	1992–1993
Genre	Alternative rock anti-folk experimental rock[1] lo-fi[2]
Length	47:31 (with hidden track)
Label	DGC Bong Load
Producer	Beck Hansen Tom Rothrock Rob Schnapf Carl Stephenson
Beck chronology
Stereopathetic Soulmanure (1994) Mellow Gold (1994) One Foot in the Grave (1994)
Singles from Mellow Gold
"Loser" Released: February 4, 1994 "Pay No Mind (Snoozer)" Released: April 1994 "Beercan" Released: 1994

Background

In a 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, Beck said of the album:

The whole concept of Mellow Gold is that it's like a satanic K-tel record that's been found in a trash dumpster, quite matter-of-factly. A few people have molested it and slept with it and half-swallowed it before spitting it out. Someone played poker with it, someone tried to smoke it. Then the record was taken to Morocco and covered with hummus and tabouli. Then it was flown back to a convention of water-skiers, who skied on it and played Frisbee with it. Then the record was put on the turntable, and the original K-Tel album had reached a whole new level. I was just taking that whole Freedom Rock feeling, you understand.^[5]

According to the album's liner notes, Mellow Gold was recorded at Carl Stephenson and Rob Schnapf's houses, predominantly utilizing a four-track.^[2]

Album cover

The robot on the cover of Mellow Gold was created by artist Eddie Lopez, who made a cameo in the music video for the hit song "Loser". The sculpture was named "Survivor from the Nuclear Bomb". The shot was originally taken in Lopez's garage space by Beck's friend as well as early collaborator Ross Harris. The last image was reshot in a studio where Harris was able to control the environment and also add visual effects to make the cover look more apocalyptic.^[6]

Title

The album was originally going to be titled Cold Ass Fashion, sharing its name with an earlier song of Beck's. The final title used, Mellow Gold, was named after a potent strain of California marijuana.^[6]

Reception

Professional ratings

Initial reviews (in 1994)
Review scores
Source	Rating
Chicago Tribune	[7]
Entertainment Weekly	B[8]
Los Angeles Times	[9]
Music Week	[10]
Rolling Stone	[11]
Select	[12]
The Village Voice	A[1]

Professional ratings

Retrospective reviews (after 1994)
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Blender	[13]
Pitchfork	8.8/10[14]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[15]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	10/10[16]

Mellow Gold received general acclaim from music critics. AllMusic and Rolling Stone gave it five out of five stars (the latter originally giving it only three and a half).

AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "although his inspired sense of humor occasionally plays like he's a smirking, irony-addled hipster, his music is never kitschy, and his wordplay is constantly inspired." He also wrote, "It's a dizzying demonstration of musical skills, yet it's all tied together by a simple yet clever sense of songcraft and a truly original lyrical viewpoint, one that's basic yet as colorful as free verse."^[3]

Guitar World magazine included Mellow Gold in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.^[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Beck Hansen, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Loser"	Hansen, Carl Stephenson	3:55
2.	"Pay No Mind (Snoozer)"		3:15
3.	"Fuckin with My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)"		3:41
4.	"Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997"		3:28
5.	"Soul Suckin' Jerk"	Hansen, Stephenson	3:57
6.	"Truckdrivin Neighbors Downstairs (Yellow Sweat)"		2:55
7.	"Sweet Sunshine"	Hansen, Stephenson	4:14
8.	"Beercan"	Hansen, Stephenson	4:00
9.	"Steal My Body Home"		5:34
10.	"Nitemare Hippy Girl"		2:55
11.	"Mutherfuker"		2:04
12.	"Blackhole" (includes hidden track, "Analog Odyssey", which begins at 5:49)		7:33
Total length:			47:31

Samples credits

"Loser"

• "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" by Johnny Jenkins
• Kill the Moonlight dialogue

"Fuckin with My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)"

• "Save the World" by Southside Movement

"Soul Suckin' Jerk"

• "The Big Beat" by Billy Squier
• "Cow" by Melvins

"Sweet Sunshine"

• "Save the World" by Southside Movement

"Beercan"

• "Hog Leg" by Melvins
• Care Bears dialogue

Personnel

• Beck – vocals, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, electric guitar, bass, harmonica, synthesizers, percussion, producer
• Mike Boito – organ (track 8)
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering
• Tom Rothrock – producer, mixing
• Rob Schnapf – producer, mixing
• Carl Stephenson – producer, beats, sampling, sitar (track 1)
• Petra Haden – violin (track 12)
• David Harte – drums (tracks 2, 10, 11)
• Rob Zabrecky – bass (track 12)
• Robert Fisher – art direction, design
• Ross Harris – photography
• Mike O'Connor – drums

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1994) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 53 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[19] 25 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20] 81 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 41 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[22] 23 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[23] 18 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 15 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 33 UK Albums (OCC)[26] 41 US Billboard 200[27] 13

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position US Billboard 200[28] 94

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[29]	Platinum	100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[30]	Gold	100,000*
United States (RIAA)[31]	Platinum	1,200,000[4]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.