Why, hello. Welcome to the next edition of Way Back Wednesday, where we feature artists and jams from way back in the day and came up sometime before the '00s. This week, I'm be taking over for Tim while he preps his Q&A with Babyface, who hits Mahaffey Theater this Saturday. I'm using the opportunity to shed some light on a vastly under-appreciated and underrated band from the UK.I have alot of conversations with people who say they're music fans, and yet, give me the blankest of stares when I ask if they dig The Beta Band. The Scottish group is definitely counted among my all-time favorites, their lovely drifting folktronic rock and bizarre trip-hopping experimentalism marked by an amusing, outer-spacey cut-and-paste style of sampling and DJ programming paired with organic instrumentation (drums, bass, guitar, keys) and droning multi-voice harmonies. The Betas did okay in the UK before breaking up in 2004, but were a little too peculiar and ahead of their time here in the U.S., where none of their music spent any time on the charts. Still, the Betas managed to imprint on me hard — remember that scene from High Fidelity, when John Cusack's character whispers to his staffer, “I will now sell five copies of The Three EPs by the Beta Band,” and then proceeds to play a track? That was "Dry the Rain," and yes, it is fantastic.
Background: The Beta Band was formed in 1996 by Steve Mason and Gordon Anderson, recording first EP Champion Versions with the addition of Robin Jones and John Maclean, and releasing it in 1997 via Regal/Parlophone Records. Shortly after, Anderson became ill and left the band, and was replaced by Englishman Richard Greentree, cementing the lineup through the Betas tenure, which was far too brief — a mere eight years — and saw the release of three EPs and three LPs until their eventual dissolution in 2004.
Notable Albums: The Betas earned no little acclaim with Champion Versions, tracks like "Dry the Rain" and "Dogs Got a Bone" proving they had something real special. Two more EPs were released in 1998, The Patty Patty Sound in March ("She's the One" is a great one) and Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos (which featured "Dr. Baker") in July, both widely praised and beloved by critics, as was the follow-up comp featuring all three (The Three EPs) that dropped that September. A full-length self-titled debut was finally issued in 1999, inspired by sources ranging from Jamaican reggae, The Black Hole (a Disney film) and Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart". "The Beta Band Rap" tells the bands story over a most weird mix of bubblegum pop, rap and rockabilly, and was reflective of the rest of the LP, more stylistically diverse than the initial EPs and received with mixed feelings that turned dark when the Betas revealed their own disregard for the record, claiming its lack of refinement was caused by the label's unreasonable deadline and tight budgets. Personally, it's my favorite, held down by the stretch-out finesse of "It's Not Too Beautiful" and complete trip to out-there land of "Round the Bend." The band went on hiatus before hitting the studio to record 2001's Hot Shots II, which made them darlings once again — and is rather good beyond the popular "Daydream in Blue"-sampled "Squares") — but the same year they released third full-length Heroes to Zeroes, they announced they'd be splitting, playing their last show in December of 2004.
"Dry the Rain"
"She's the One"
"Dr. Baker"
"Push It Out"
"Round the Bend"
"It's Not Too Beautiful"