''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 Robert Wolfe Quine (December 30, 1942 – May 31, 2004) was an American guitarist. A native of Akron, Ohio, Quine worked with a wide range of musicians, though he himself remained relatively unknown. Critic Mark Deming wrote that "Quine's eclect ...

, and

Ivan Julian Ivan Julian (born June 26, 1955) is a guitarist, bassist and founding member of Richard Hell and the Voidoids and Lovelies. He has also performed with the Isley Brothers, The Clash, Matthew Sweet, The Bongos, Richard Barone, and Shriek ...

; keyboardist Nicky Hopkins,; and violinist Byron Berline. The track "Intro" is a clip from the Malcolm McDowell film ''

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

''. The title of the album is borrowed from the arcade game '' Altered Beast''. Sweet told ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' 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 In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chosen ...

things, and when you eat them you become the Altered Beast, this other creature that's really powerful and violent". 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 is one of Japan's largest door-to-door delivery service companies, with a market share of 41%, competing closely with Sagawa Express and Nippon Express. Their head office is in Ginza, Tokyo. The company's trademarked term for their express d ...

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."O'Connor, Rob
Review: Matthew Sweet - Altered Beast
'' Rolling Stone'', July 17, 1997. 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."

Reissue

In 2018, independent vinyl reissue label Intervention Records announced that it would be releasing Artist-Approved 2 LP Expanded Editions of ''

100% Fun ''100% Fun'' is the fifth album by alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on Zoo Entertainment in 1995. Release The album was met with moderate commercial success and favorable reviews. The single "Sick of Myself" reached #2 ...

'', ''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 ''Son of Altered Beast'' is an EP by alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. Released following ''Altered Beast'' in 1994 by Zoo Entertainment, it contains live and alternate versions of various Sweet songs. In 2018, independent vinyl reis ...

''.

Track listing

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

". # "Dinosaur Act" - 4:05 # "Devil with the Green Eyes" - 4:43 # "The Ugly Truth" - 3:18 # "Time Capsule" - 3:56 # "Someone to Pull the Trigger" - 3:55 # "Knowing People" - 4:25 # "Life Without You" - 2:18 # "Intro" - 0:46 # "Ugly Truth Rock" - 2:58 # "Do It Again" - 3:33 # "In Too Deep" - 3:54 # "Reaching Out" - 4:00 # "Falling" - 4:50 # "What Do You Know?" - 4:27 # "Evergreen" - 4:23 (5:50 track length includes a hidden outro track) Robert Quine plays lead guitar on Dinosaur Act, Devil With the Green Eyes, Ugly Truth, Time Capsule, Do It Again, Reaching Out, What Do You Know?, and Evergreen. Richard Lloyd plays lead guitar on Knowing People, Ugly Truth Rock, In Too Deep, and Falling. Ivan Julian plays lead guitar on Someone to Pull the Trigger and Life Without You.

Music videos

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

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Altered Beast (Album) Matthew Sweet albums 1993 albums Albums produced by Richard Dashut Zoo Entertainment (record label) albums Albums produced by Matthew Sweet