Altered Beast (album)

Altered Beast
Studio album by Matthew Sweet
Released	13 July 1993 (1993)
Recorded	January – February 1993
Studio	The Sound Factory (Hollywood, California) The Village Recorder (Los Angeles, California) Maida Vale Studios (London, UK)
Genre	Alternative rock, power pop
Length	57:32
Label	Zoo Entertainment
Producer	Richard Dashut and Matthew Sweet
Matthew Sweet chronology
Girlfriend (1991) Altered Beast (1993) Son of Altered Beast (1994)
Singles from Altered Beast
"The Ugly Truth" Released: 1993

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]

Altered Beast is the fourth album by alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on Zoo Entertainment in 1993.

Recording

Some of the album's guest musicians include: drummers Mick Fleetwood, Jody Stephens, and Pete Thomas; guitarists Richard Lloyd, Robert Quine, and Ivan Julian; keyboardist Nicky Hopkins,;^[5] and violinist Byron Berline. The track "Intro" is a clip from the Malcolm McDowell film Caligula.^[6]

The title of the album is borrowed from the arcade game Altered Beast. Sweet told Spin magazine that the title meant "whatever is inside you that someday might explode, and maybe you don't know it's there", which he found similar to the game, in which "you have to find these little power-up things, and when you eat them you become the Altered Beast, this other creature that's really powerful and violent".^[7] The cover of the album, produced in five different colored versions (yellow, blue, green, orange and purple), features a dinosaur logo. Originally, Sweet wanted to use the logo of the Japanese delivery company Yamato Transport on the cover, but was denied permission; Sweet has described the dinosaur design as a "consolation prize".

Release

Initial responses to the record were mixed, with Rolling Stone writing that it had "inspiring moments; the problem is finding them."^[5] AllMusic agreed that the album is "all over the place", yet noted that "it takes a bit of time for all of it to make sense, but after a few listens, it falls together."^[8]

Reissue

In 2018, independent vinyl reissue label Intervention Records announced that it would be releasing Artist-Approved 2 LP Expanded Editions of 100% Fun, Altered Beast, and Girlfriend. The three albums will also be released on CD/SACD. Intervention also announced a first time on vinyl reissue of Son of Altered Beast.^[9]

Track listing

All songs written by Matthew Sweet; with the exception of Track 8, "Intro" excerpts from the movie "Caligula".

1. "Dinosaur Act" - 4:05
2. "Devil with the Green Eyes" - 4:43
3. "The Ugly Truth" - 3:18
4. "Time Capsule" - 3:56
5. "Someone to Pull the Trigger" - 3:55
6. "Knowing People" - 4:25
7. "Life Without You" - 2:18
8. "Intro" - 0:46
9. "Ugly Truth Rock" - 2:58
10. "Do It Again" - 3:33
11. "In Too Deep" - 3:54
12. "Reaching Out" - 4:00
13. "Falling" - 4:50
14. "What Do You Know?" - 4:27
15. "Evergreen" - 4:23 (5:50 track length includes a hidden outro track)

Personnel

• Matthew Sweet – vocals, electric guitars (1-7, 9-14), 12-string bass (1, 6), dinosaur noises (1), acoustic guitars (2-5, 7, 10, 11, 13-15), bass guitar (2-5, 7, 9-14), baritone guitar (12)
• Nicky Hopkins – acoustic piano (10-12, 15)
• Robert Quine – lead guitar (1-4, 10, 12, 14), rhythm guitars (7), electric guitars (15)
• Ivan Julian – lead guitar (5, 7)
• Richard Lloyd – lead guitar (6, 9, 11, 13)
• Greg Leisz – lap steel guitar (2), acoustic guitar (14), National duolian (14), pedal steel guitar (15)
• Ric Menck – drums (1, 3, 10, 11)
• Pete Thomas – drums (2, 4, 5, 14)
• Ron Pangborn – drums (6, 9)
• Jody Stephens – drums (7)
• Mick Fleetwood – drums (12)
• Fred Maher – drums (13)
• Byron Berline – fiddle (3)

Production

• Scott Byron – A&R
• Richard Dashut – producer
• Matthew Sweet – producer, arrangements, mixing
• Lloyd Puckitt – recording, mixing
• Barry Goldberg – additional engineer
• Tom Nellan – additional engineer
• Chris Littell – additional engineer
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering at Precision Mastering (Hollywood, California)
• Lee Hammond – art direction
• E.J. Camp – photography
• Art Shoji – typography
• Russell Carter Artist Management Ltd. – management

Music videos

1. *The Ugly Truth", directed by Matthew Sweet
2. *Time Capsule", directed by Douglas Gayeton (Satellite Films)

Charts

Chart performance for Altered Beast

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10]	54
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[11]	50
US Billboard 200[12]	75

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Altered Beast Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
2. Christgau, Robert (2000-10-15). "Matthew Sweet". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 9780312245603.
3. Aaron, Charles (1993-08-06). "Altered Beast". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
4. O'Connor, Rob (1997-07-17). "Matthew Sweet: Altered Beast". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-10-01.
5. O'Connor, Rob: Review: Matthew Sweet - Altered Beast, Rolling Stone, July 17, 1997.
6. DeRogatis, Jim: Matthew Sweet Sours on Success Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine, Chicago Sun-Times, June 20, 1993.
7. Kelly, Christian: King of Pop, Spin, September 1995.
8. "Altered Beast - Matthew Sweet | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
9. "Matthew Sweet 1991-1995 180G LP Series Subscription (PRE-ORDER) – Intervention Records". www.interventionrecords.com. Archived from the original on 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
10. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 273.
11. "Charts.nz – Matthew Sweet – Altered Beast". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
12. "Matthew Sweet Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2022.