Product Description

As the title suggests, this disc collects the first three UK releases by Scotland's Beta Band. Singer/guitarist StephenMason, bassist Richard Greentree, drummer Robin Jones, and DJ/tape manipulator John McLean demonstrate astonishingly febrile imaginations over the course of these 12 songs. They pick up and discard ideas with wicked glee and a contagious try-anything-once attitude.
Imagine Frank Zappa, Beck, andRobert Wyatt leading the Bonzo Dog Band! Another strong influence appears to be turn-of-the-'70s Pink Floyd, given the band's fondness for near-inaudible tape loops and Mason's astonishingly Roger Waters-like voice. Like such contemporaries as Gomez and Arnold, The Beta Band can leap from the Delta-blues influence of "Dry The Rain" or the mantra-like "She'sThe One" to the funky dub groove of "Monolith" and make thebroad stylistic jumps look easy.

Track Listing

1. Dry The Rain
2. I Know
3. B+A
4. Dog's Got A Bone
5. Inner Meet Me
6. House Song
7. Monolith
8. She's The One
9. Push It Out
10. It's Over
11. Needles In My Eyes
12. Dr Baker

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6169 in Music
• Released on: 1998-09-28
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
The signs were all there with Champion Versions: A riotous cut-up of existentialist blues ("Dog's Got A Bone"), transcendent folk ("Dry the Rain") and crunchy lo-fi hip-hop ("I Know"), it sounded like Screamadelica remade in a Gregorian monastery--a masterful, if amateurish debut EP. The authors, as well, were satisfyingly absurd: four reclusive Scottish surrealists with a distrust of the music press, they prefer to keep their mouths shut and let the music do the talking. The Three EP's collects Champion Versions with the Beta Band's subsequent two releases: The Patty Patty Sound was beautiful campfire psychedelia, culminating in a seven-minute long, two-chord love song "She's The One For Me". Los Amigos Del Beta Bandidos, however, was mournful, but with an improvisational edge characterised by the cold mantra of "Push It Out". A better bet than the Beta's overlong debut album, The Three EP's finds them at their eclectic best. --Louis Pattison

From Amazon.com
Citing influences ranging from the decidedly serious Martin Sheen to the asinine Chevy Chase to funkmaster Bootsy Collins, the Beta Band is a delight. This aptly titled compilation of three separately released EPs is sure to leave music fans scratching their collective head while trying to define this Scottish band's intricate aural hodgepodge. The Beta Band makes a very distinct and exciting impression. There's the unusual coupling of acoustic guitar, horn, sampled beats, and a catchy refrain on "Dry the Rain"; the hypnotic instrumental "B+A"; and "She's the One," which opens with a chaotic, hippyish drum circle that segues first to an anthemic chorus and then to a highly processed breakdown complete with a Jew's harp. The Three EPs will dominate the CD player, becoming somewhat of an obsession, with each listen revealing some brilliant little nuance, quirk, or lyric. --Kerry Murphy

Customer Reviews

A modern masterpiece
The Three Eps is not only the best album release of its year, but is arguably one of the finest recordings in the history of popular music. Everything on this album is sublime - from the cluttering percussion, bass, peddle steel and muted nasal vocal stylings of the opening 'Dry The Rain' through to the choral atmospherics of 'Dr Baker' and beyond, The Beta Band have produced an amazing masterpiece that will undoubtably stand the test of time.

Musically, the Three Eps is virtually impossible to categorize. What we get is a diverse soup of styles which include latin rhythm samples, discordant 'scratched' beats punctuated by piano motiffs and heavy basslines, repetitive and hypnotic chanting underscored by some sublime lyrical phrasing, gentle acoustic folk and sublime melodies. The whole thing comes together wonderfully. The Three Eps is bursting with creativity, vibrancy and inventiveness, pushing the boundaries of rock music to new levels.

The one over-riding influence that comes through above all others is the electro-rock free-form funkiness of 70s 'Krautrock' band 'Can'. But by merely pointing towards these German masters - who are arguably one of the most influential bands in contemporary rock-electro music - would be a dis-service to this awesome recording.

If you appreciate bands like Happy Mondays, Primal Scream, Spiritualized and Stone Roses, then The Three Eps ought to tick all the right boxes for you. However, this record surpasses anything these groups have produced with the possible exception of 'Lazer Guided Melodies' by Spiritualized. At well over 1 hour in length this album does not over-stay its welcome, rather it leaves you wanting more. I unreservedly recommend that you purchase this contemporary masterpiece.

So Long and Thanks for All the Memories
This album is a true classic and should stand the test of time. I imagine in 20 - 30 years time, tracks like these will be the sort of musical gems that the future equivalent of DJ Shadow or David Holmes will be unearthing.
The Beta Band were not confined by genre, trends or convention. Some tracks are stripped down and atmospheric, some are completely over the top with a 'throw everything but the kitchen sink in' approach. Manic percussion and drumming, multiple vocal chants, funky basslines, beautiful electric guitar leads, folky acoustic guitar strumming...its all on this collection of early eps.
Probably their best release, many, many students and likeminded music fans throughout the country have surely lost themselves in this music, whilst smoking a fat joint or the like. It is tailor-made mashed music.
And furthermore, Dry the Rain should have been huge. Its a song Oasis would have killed for.

Superb - Shame I missed this a few years ago
I love this getting back into music during my (early!) forties lark. I keep discovering things that are just so good that they are almost beyond description. In some ways I'm so glad that I missed out on years of music listening (being busy with work etc) because I've got so much more to discover. I came across this when I heard the excellent debut by the Aliens, 'Astronomy For Dogs' and read about the Beta Band whose core formed The Aliens after Gordon Anderson's eventual recovery from mental illness.

This is just beautiful. The whole album is the collected three EPs first released by the band in the 1990s and it is fantastically imaginative all the way through. "Dry The Rain" is famously played in the film 'Hi-Fidelity' and though I've watched that film a few times I can't say I noticed, hearing it now though while I'm really listening and not watching a film it does grab you somewhat. I really love the way the song develops over 6 minutes to include the brass which makes this much more than just another indie track. I'd have to say though that the tracks at the end of the album are the highlight. "She's The One", "Push It Out" and "Dr Baker" are just stunningly good!

The influences for this music seem to come from all over the place (Pink Floyd, Trip Hop, Folk, Incredible String Band, Gregorian Chanting), but the influences are never allowed to take the front seat. There isn't anything derivative about this at all. This is just great music. I've already ordered 'Heroes to Zeroes' and 'Hot Shots II' on the back of this and if they're only a 10th as good as this they'll be a bargain.

Oh, and if you've heard this and like it why not try Tunng's 'Comments of The Inner Chorus' which is another quirky mix of folk and electronica (sounds much like 'Inner Meet Me') that came out last year but many people missed.

Wonderful discovery, glad I bought it.