The Hour of Bewilderbeast

Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox album The Hour of Bewilderbeast is the debut studio album by British musician Badly Drawn Boy, released on 26 June 2000. Damon Gough, who performs as Badly Drawn Boy, wrote, produced, and played several instruments on the album's eighteen tracks, several of which also feature accompaniment by members of the British indie rock bands Alfie and Doves. The Hour of Bewilderbeast was released to great critical acclaim and went on to win the 2000 Mercury Prize,<ref name=MercuryPrize>2000 Shortlist Template:Webarchive. Mercury Prize. Retrieved 23 June 2011</ref> and has sold 455,000 copies in the United Kingdom as of September 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Release

The cover art, designed by Andy Votel, is a collage loosely based on Leonardo da Vinci's drawing Vitruvian Man. For the American release of the album, the album's cover was altered to remove a photograph of American actor and director Woody Allen, which was unauthorized by the copyright owners of the photograph.<ref name=Woody>Template:Cite book</ref> In addition, the song "Magic in the Air" was re-recorded with new instrumental parts to replace a section of the song utilizing lyrics taken from the 1987 song "Love Is Contagious" by R&B singer Taja Sevelle, after Sevelle's publishing company BMG objected to the use of the lyrics.<ref name=Woody/><ref name=Taja>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Reception and legacy

Template:Album ratings The Hour of Bewilderbeast was met with widespread critical acclaim.<ref name="popmatters">Template:Cite web</ref> On the review aggregate site Metacritic, the album holds a score of 78 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref name=Metacritic/> Michael Hubbard of MusicOMH felt that the album "deserves to do well for many more reasons than the act's name, excellent though it is", and that "a surprise is set loose with every track".<ref name=musicomh>Template:Cite web</ref> Calling the album a "concise tour through the gentler side of British songwriting history", Brent DiCrescenzo of Pitchfork wrote that the varied instrumentation "[attaches] insect wings to the lovely songs" and concluded that with The Hour of Bewilderbeast, "Badly Drawn Boy proves what shallow saps American liberal arts majors can be behind a guitar."<ref name=pitchfork/> AllMusic's John Bush stated that Gough had written and produced "over a dozen excellent songs of baroque folk-pop for his album debut, and the many gems can't help but shine through all the self-indulgence", highlighting Gough's use of humour in his lyrics.<ref name=AllMusic/>

Alternative Press stated that The Hour of Bewilderbeast gives "as full a portrait as possible of Gough's musical and personal life,"<ref name=ap>Template:Cite journal</ref> while David Browne, writing in Entertainment Weekly, called the album an "intimate hour that's far from bewildering."<ref name=ew/> Pat Blashill of Rolling Stone compared Gough to Elliott Smith and Nick Drake and wrote that "like Drake, he's mastered the art of evoking melancholy without slathering on too much sentimentality."<ref name=rs/> Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times drew similar comparisons to Drake, while noting that Gough "never succumbs to Drake's sad solipsism, though, favoring an expansive reach emotionally and musically."<ref name="latimes"/> In a more mixed assessment, SpinTemplate:'s Barney Hoskyns wrote that "Gough's dewy little tunes are mere scribblings in the margins of alt-folk's dog-eared hook-book, while his too-cool-to-care singing is drip-dry dreary" and that The Hour of Bewilderbeast, when compared to Elliott Smith's Figure 8, makes Gough "look like an imposter."<ref name=spin/>

The Hour of Bewilderbeast appeared on several year-end lists. Pitchfork ranked the album at number 18 on its list of the top 20 albums of 2000.<ref name=pitchtop20>Template:Cite web</ref> NME ranked the album at number 4 on its list of the 50 best albums of 2000.<ref name=nme2000>A decade in music – 50 best albums of 2000. NME. Retrieved 22 July 2011.</ref> In addition, the album received the 2000 Mercury Prize, a prize Gough was favoured to win. When Gough received the prize, he tossed the prize money on the ground and said: "I always assumed I was never going to win because good things don't happen to good people normally."<ref name=bbc>Template:Cite web</ref>

The album was also listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Track listing

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Personnel

Credits for The Hour of Bewilderbeast adapted from album liner notes.<ref name="Liner notes">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2

Badly Drawn Boy (Damon Gough) – vocals, guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, drum machine, harmonica, percussion, vibraphone, xylophone, harp, string arrangement, sound effects
Spencer Birtwhistle – drums
Reb Fitzpatrick – drums
Adrian Dacre – drums
Jimi Goodwin – bass
Clare Hewitt – backing vocals
Sean Kelly – drums, handclaps
Matt McGeever – cello, handclaps
Sam Morris – bass, keyboards, French horn, handclaps
Northern New Orleans Brass Band – horns

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Ian Rainford – handclaps
Martin Rebelski – Wurlitzer electric piano, clavinet, keyboards
Joe Robinson – drum programming, loops, theremin, effects, sound effects
Derrick Santini – handclaps
Ian Smith – drums, electric guitar, percussion, vibraphone, handclaps
Paul Taylor – string arrangements
Andy Votel – drum programming, effects, piano, keyboards, strings samples, samples
Matt Wardle – piano, organ, synthesizer, keyboards, vocals
Gary Wilkinson – keyboards, drum programming, sirens, noises
Andy Williams – drums
Jez Williams – electric guitar, slide guitar
Sophie Williams – handclaps