Freebass / It's A Beautiful Life
Artist Freebass
Album Title: It's A Beautiful Life
Album Cover:
Primary Genre Alternative
Format CD
Released 09/20/2010
Label Haçienda Records
Catalog No HAÇ 3
Bar Code No 8 44185 04753 1
Reissue Yes
Packaging Cardboard 6 Panel Gatefold
Tracks
It's A Beautiful Life (Disc 1)
1. Not Too Late (3:42)
2. The Only Ones Alone (5:41)
3. Lady Violence (4:37)
4. World Won't Wait (4:53)
5. Kill Switch Pt. 141 (4:23)
6. Stalingrad (4:21)
7. Secrets And Lies (4:10)
8. She Said (3:51)
9. The God Machine (4:31)
10. Plan B (5:27)
11. Bury Me Standing (4:20)
12. Sister Surrender (3:52)
13. I'm A Believer (4:11)
It's A Beautiful Life (Disc 2)
1. Intro (0:24)
2. You Don't Know This About Me (Instrumental Mix) (6:41)
3. The Milky Way Is Our Playground (Instrumental Mix) (5:55)
4. Dark Starr (Instrumental Mix) (6:24)
5. Live Tomorrow You Go Down (Instrumental Mix) (4:56)
6. Thats Life (1:11)
7. You Don't Know This About Me (Fritz Von Runte 33 Redesign) (6:39)
8. Dark Starr (Fritz Von Runte Redesign) (8:13)
9. You Don't Know This About Me (Fritz Von Runte Electro Design) (6:32)
10. Dub Starr (2:43)
11. You Don't Know This About Me (Arthur Baker Vocal Mix) (8:40)
12. You Don't Know This About Me (Arthur Baker Instrumental Mix) (8:40)
13. You Don't Know This About Me (Arthur Baker A Capella Mix) (6:01)
Date Acquired 03/05/2017
Personal Rating
Acquired from Amazon
Purchase Price 7.99

Web Links

All Music Guide entry:
Discogs entry:

Notes

Art Direction, Design [Sleeve] – Phil Rainey
Bass – Peter Hook
Co-producer – Gary Mounfield, Phil Murphy
Design [Additional Package Design] – Marshall Dickson, Sonshine Ward
Drums – Paul Kehoe
Engineer – Dan Broad
Engineer [Original Ideas] – Roger Lyons
Guitar – Andy Rourke
Guitar [Guitar Work] – Nat Watson
Keyboards, Programmed By, Instruments [All Additional] – Phil Murphy
Mixed By – Justin Richards (tracks: 1-1 to 1-7, 1-9, 1-10, 2-13)
Producer – Peter Hook
Vocals – Gary Briggs (5)
Written-By, Performer – Rourke, Briggs, Mounfield, Hook
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Haçienda Records
Copyright (c) – Haçienda Records
Phonographic Copyright (p) – 24 Hour Service Station
Copyright (c) – 24 Hour Service Station
Designed At – Cuckoo Design
Designed At – 24 Hour Service Station
Engineered At – Moolah Rouge Studios
Mixed At – Revolution Studios
Mastered At – The Exchange
Manufactured By – 24 Hour Service Station
Distributed By – 24 Hour Service Station
Pressed By – The ADS Group
Designed @ CuckooDesign.com, Manchester.
Additional package design @ 24 Hour Service Station, Tampa.
Engineered at Moolah Rouge Studios, Stockport.
Mixed at Revolution Studios, Cheadle Hulme, Manchester.
Mastered at the Exchange, London
© ? 2010 24 Hour Service Station I Haçienda Records. Manufactured & distributed in the United States by 24 Hour Service Station.

================================================================================
foobar2000 1.3.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2017-03-06 23:52:24

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Freebass / It's a Beautiful Life, Disc 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR5        0.00 dB    -6.51 dB      3:43 01-Not Too Late
DR6        0.00 dB    -7.98 dB      5:41 02-The Only Ones Alone
DR6        0.00 dB    -8.11 dB      4:38 03-Lady Violence
DR7        0.00 dB    -8.14 dB      4:54 04-World Won't Wait
DR6        0.00 dB    -7.97 dB      4:24 05-Kill Switch, Pt. 141
DR7        0.00 dB    -8.63 dB      4:22 06-Stalingrad
DR5        0.00 dB    -6.65 dB      4:11 07-Secrets and Lies
DR5        0.00 dB    -5.86 dB      3:52 08-She Said
DR5        0.00 dB    -6.69 dB      4:31 09-The God Machine
DR7        0.00 dB  -10.42 dB      5:27 10-Plan B
DR6       -0.10 dB    -7.53 dB      4:21 11-Bury Me Standing
DR6       -0.07 dB    -6.53 dB      3:52 12-Sister Surrender
DR6       -0.14 dB    -7.44 dB      4:12 13-I'm a Believer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks:  13
Official DR value:    DR6

Samplerate:             44100 Hz
Channels:                 2
Bits per sample:      16
Bitrate:                     1081 kbps
Codec:                      FLAC
================================================================================
================================================================================
foobar2000 1.3.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2017-03-06 23:53:14

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Freebass / It's a Beautiful Life, Disc 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR19   -12.95 dB  37.89 dB      0:25 01-Intro
DR6         0.00 dB   -7.09 dB      6:41 02-You Don't Know This About Me [Instrumental Mix]
DR7         0.00 dB   -8.85 dB      5:55 03-The Milky Way is Our Playground [Instrumental Mix]
DR6         0.00 dB   -7.21 dB      6:25 04-Dark Starr [Instrumental Mix]
DR7         0.00 dB   -9.09 dB      4:57 05-Live Tomorrow You Go Down [Instrumental Mix]
DR15     -9.30 dB -27.78 dB      1:12 06-Thats Life
DR8       -0.30 dB    -9.46 dB      6:40 07-You Don't Know This About Me [Fritz von Runte 33 Redesign]
DR7       -0.20 dB    -8.81 dB      8:13 08-Dark Starr [Fritz von Runte 33 Redesign]
DR7       -0.20 dB    -9.02 dB      6:32 09-You Don't Know This About Me [Fritz von Runte Electro Design]
DR8       -0.20 dB    -9.79 dB      2:44 10-Dub Starr
DR8       -0.70 dB  -10.18 dB      8:40 11-You Don't Know This About Me [Arthur Baker Vocal Mix]
DR8       -0.70 dB  -10.38 dB      8:40 12-You Don't Know This About Me [Arthur Baker Instrumental Mix]
DR12     -0.96 dB  -16.83 dB      6:01 13-You Don't Know This About Me [Arthur Baker a Capella Mix]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks:  13
Official DR value:    DR9

Samplerate:             44100 Hz
Channels:                 2
Bits per sample:      16
Bitrate:                     582 kbps
Codec:                      FLAC
================================================================================

Reviews
AllMusic Review by j. poet:

Freebass seemed like a good idea when it was put together. Three formidable bass players -- Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order, Gary Mounfield of the Stone Roses and Primal Scream, and Andy Rourke of the Smiths would play music without a guitar player, letting the bass carry both rhythm and melody the way it often did in the groundbreaking work these three talents had done in the past. They announced they were going to use a number of guest vocalists rather than one lead singer, which they did on their first EP, Two Worlds Collide. By the time they cut their debut, It's a Beautiful Life, Rourke, who had moved over to guitar, had left and Nat Watson had replaced him. They'd brought on Gary Briggs from Haven as lead singer. The band splintered just after releasing the debut they'd been working on for five years, so this is the only music from this group that you're probably ever going to hear. Beautiful Life covers a lot of ground on its 13 tracks. The bright pop tune "Not Too Late" opens the album with its new wave feel augmented by subtle dub reggae effects. "Stalingrad" takes the dub effects to outer space with production worthy of Lee "Scratch" Perry. Twangy lead guitar, an atmospheric vocal, and plenty of electronic textures add to the track's smoky density. Briggs' pleading vocals give "Secrets and Lies" a fragile aura. A funky, stuttering guitar adds an '80s club feel to the proceedings. "I'm a Believer" is not the Monkees/Neil Diamond song. It sounds closer to a New Order track with Hook's staccato, melodic bassline propelling the track. "World Won't Wait" sounds like a forgotten late-'70s funk-rock hit; processed guitar bounces from speaker to speaker to fill up the sonic space, while synthesizer accents give the track a dark modern feel. "She Said" is another funky track with a dense, almost metallic guitar attack, intertwining basslines, and a minimal vocal. The New Order influence is also strong on "The God Machine," "Sister Surrender," and "Plan B," although the sci-fi keyboards and shifting rhythms of drummer Paul Kehoe on the latter keep things from sounding overly derivative. Still, with five years of work going into this opus, it's a bit disappointing, a good but not great collection. By the time this album dropped in September of 2010, the band had already broken up, so perhaps they included the bonus disc that accompanies what will probably be their only album as a consolation prize for their American fans. It includes tracks from three of the band's four EPs: Two Worlds Collide: The Instrumental Mixes EP, You Don't Know This About Me: The Arthur Baker Remixes EP, and Freebass Redesign, remixes/reinventions by Manchester DJ wizard Fritz Von Runte. The instrumental mixes of Two Worlds Collide include the New Order-like "You Don't Know (This About Me)," the bluesy "The Milky Way Is Our Playground," which sounds like the Animals gone new wave and the funky "Dark Starr" which appears later as a bit of new wavey dub called "Dub Starr." Fritz Von Runte reinvents "You Don't Know (This About Me)" twice. Arthur Baker gives us three more takes on the same tune, including a melancholy a lengthy a capella mix. Oddly, the American version excludes the original tracks from the band's first EP Two Worlds Collide.
Cover 1
Cover 2
Cover 3
Cover 4
Cover 5
Cover 6
Cover 7