Deconstructing Beck is a compilation album released on February 17, 1998, by an anonymous group posing as Illegal Art. The album is a compilation of 13 tracks created completely from samples of American musician Beck which, by artistic intention of the group, were not approved by Geffen Records, and its release set off a large scale legal battle between the two record labels which attracted worldwide media attention. According to cultural critic Steven Shaviro, the release of Deconstructing Beck served as a challenge to the music industry since Beck's discography prominently features samples, and paved the way for new media art that became oriented around the limitations of copyright law.
| Deconstructing Beck | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by Various artists | |
| Released | 17 February 1998 |
| Recorded | 1997–1998 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 54:52 |
| Label | |
| Producer | Philo T. Farnsworth |
Background and legacy
editDeconstructing 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 or persons under the pseudonym Philo T. Farnsworth. The album is, as a whole, created completely out of samples taken, intentionally without authorization or payment, from Beck's discography; when the release of the album was announced in February 1998, Illegal Art made great efforts to inform Beck's lawyers. Beck's lawyers immediately threatened to sue on the grounds of copyright infringement which resulted in a high-profile controversy, but Beck's lawyers and publicist were never able to take legal action since the identity of Philo T. and the actual location of Illegal Art were both anonymous.[1][2]
Reappraisal
editCultural 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
edit| 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
edit- ^ Strauss, Neil (1998-05-06). "The Pop Life; Tweaking Beck With Piracy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ "Illegal Beck Samples Provoke 'Cease and Desist' Orders". MTV. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. 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
edit- Shaviro, Steven. Connected. University of Minnesota Press, 2003
External links
edit- 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)