The Best of the Beta Band

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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Andy Kellman
A somewhat peculiar way to send off a very peculiar band, The Best of the Beta Band is a two-disc compilation priced as a single intended for newcomers and collectors alike, with disc one a best-of and disc two a recording of one of the last gigs. Any Betas fan is bound to have at least one problem with the selection of tracks on the first disc. That's to be expected. One notion that nearly every fan will agree on, however, is that each of the band's albums has its own identity and would be better off left, and therefore experienced, intact. The real nuts griped when the first three EPs were simply bound together. You do want the albums, from front to back, with all the ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Andy Kellman
A somewhat peculiar way to send off a very peculiar band, The Best of the Beta Band is a two-disc compilation priced as a single intended for newcomers and collectors alike, with disc one a best-of and disc two a recording of one of the last gigs. Any Betas fan is bound to have at least one problem with the selection of tracks on the first disc. That's to be expected. One notion that nearly every fan will agree on, however, is that each of the band's albums has its own identity and would be better off left, and therefore experienced, intact. The real nuts griped when the first three EPs were simply bound together. You do want the albums, from front to back, with all the exposed seams and strokes of genius tied together, as they were intended to be heard. But this is a fine point of entry, containing the five proper singles and most of the other best-known moments, including a lumbering anthem that crosses Primal Scream's "Loaded" with Harvest folk rocker Michael Chapman's "It Didn't Work Out" "Dry the Rain", a bewildering epic that tries not to be an epic with incidental orchestral sweeps "It's Not Too Beautiful", and a gorgeously spare ballad that might or might not be about an alien who lost his memory and fell in love after wrecking his spacecraft "Gone". After a jovial "Good evening, London -- how the f*ck are you?" the live disc rolls through nine of the 16 songs heard on the best-of, in addition to "Dr. Baker," "Quiet," "Dog's Got a Bone," and a riotous "House Song." Since the crowd knows about the planned breakup, it's very appreciative, and the Betas make a convincing case for being considered a live band as much as a studio band. The booklet is a gas, containing a series of graphic jokes where you would normally see a career summary involving phrases like "criminally underrated," "wildly influential," and "critically acclaimed but commercially underappreciated."
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 10/4/2005
  • Label: Astralwerks
  • UPC: 094633662124
  • Catalog Number: 36621
  • Sales rank: 71,727

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Dry the Rain (6:06)
  2. 2 Inner Meet Me (6:19)
  3. 3 She's the One (8:20)
  4. 4 Dr Baker (4:10)
  5. 5 It's Not Too Beautiful (8:31)
  6. 6 Smiling (4:02)
  7. 7 To You Alone (4:51)
  8. 8 Squares (3:46)
  9. 9 Human Being (4:00)
  10. 10 Gone (3:42)
  11. 11 Broke (3:01)
  12. 12 Assessment (3:52)
  13. 13 Easy (2:32)
  14. 14 Wonderful (4:39)
  15. 15 Troubles (2:33)
  16. 16 Simple (3:45)
Disc 2
  1. 1 It's Not Too Beautiful (8:09)
  2. 2 Squares (5:41)
  3. 3 Inner Meet Me (5:21)
  4. 4 Simple (4:05)
  5. 5 She's the One (7:49)
  6. 6 Easy (2:41)
  7. 7 Dr Baker (5:50)
  8. 8 Dry the Rain (8:07)
  9. 9 Quiet (5:45)
  10. 10 Broke (7:09)
  11. 11 Assessment (4:39)
  12. 12 Dog's Got a Bone (5:09)
  13. 13 House Song (7:24)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
The Beta Band Primary Artist
Ben Lee Strings
Peter Fry Trombone
Pete Gainey Saxophone
Dominic Pecher Strings
Ruston Pomeroy Strings
Neil Martin Trumpet
Alex Lyon Strings
Technical Credits
Carole King Composer
Colin Emmanuel Producer
Bob Ludwig Mastering
Tom Stern Composer
Tim Summerhayes Engineer
Raymond Vincent Composer
Chris Allison Producer, Engineer
Geoff Pesche Mastering
Luke Gifford Engineer
Gareth Parton Engineer
The Beta Band Composer
Gordon Anderson Composer
Richard Greentree Composer
Tim Goldsworthy Programming
Nick Brine Engineer
Sanctuary Mobile Studios Engineer
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