Beetroot (album)

Beetroot
Album cover for Beetroot
Studio album by
Released30 July 2001 (2001-07-30)
RecordedAstoria, London; Real World, Box, Wiltshire
GenreRock
Length44:01
LabelPolydor
ProducerTristin Norwell, John Power
Cast chronology
Magic Hour
(1999)
Beetroot
(2001)
The Collection
(2004)
Singles from Beetroot
  1. "Desert Drought"
    Released: 16 July 2001

Beetroot is the fourth album by the English band Cast, released on 30 July 2001. From the album, a single was released, "Desert Drought", which reached #45 in the UK Singles Chart. Two further intended singles, "Kingdoms And Crowns" and "Giving It All Away" were cancelled due to the album and first single's poor sales.

Background

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In the run up to the album's release, the band ran a competition via their then-official website, appealing to fans to submit their own ideas for possible album titles, as the band proposed that they would choose a title from all of the entries received. However, despite the many suggestions, John ultimately decided to stick with his own working title for the project, 'Beetroot'.[1]

Although the band chose not to use any of the names suggested, they did make a Top 10 list of alternate album titles:[1]

  • '4Cast'
  • 'All of Us Are'
  • 'Out From Within'
  • 'Pyramid'
  • 'Recreativity'
  • 'Reflector'
  • 'Sense & Sensemilia'
  • 'So It Goes'
  • 'Spirit Level'
  • 'What Remains To Be Discovered?'

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Gigslutz4/5[3]
God Is in the TV1.5/5[4]
The Guardian[5]
Is this music?[6]
NME[7]
Record Collector[8]

In a retrospective review, Jamie Atkins of Record Collector said the album and its predecessor showcase a band attempting to "break new ground," while Beetroot "in particular containing their most adventurous work [...] It all just lacks wit, imagination and conviction".[8]

Track listing

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All songs written by John Power.

  1. "Desert Drought" – 2:47
  2. "Heal Me" – 1:36
  3. "Curtains" – 3:25
  4. "Kingdoms and Crowns" – 3:41
  5. "Giving It All Away" – 4:17
  6. "Lose Myself" – 4:09
  7. "I Never Can Say" – 4:31
  8. "High Wire" – 3:56
  9. "Meditations" – 3:49
  10. "JetSteam" – 4:32
  11. "U-Turn" – 3:12
  12. "Universal Grinding Wheel" – 3:59

Personnel

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Cast
Production
  • Tristin Norwell – producer, engineer, mixing, arrangements
  • Simon B. Sheridan – engineer
  • Claire Lewis – assistant engineer
  • Damon Iddins – assistant engineer
  • Adrian Hall – assistant engineer
  • The Weathermen – Pro Tools operator
  • Lawrence Johnson – additional vocal arrangements
  • Kevin Metcalfe – mastering
Additional musicians
  • Lurine Cato – backing vocals
  • Michelle John – backing vocals
  • Rachel McFarlane – backing vocals
  • David Farmer – brass
  • David Vines – brass
  • David Williamson – brass
  • James Watson – brass
  • Richard Brown – brass
  • Tom Edwards – brass
  • Tom Watson – brass
  • William Watson – brass
  • Paul Ellison – piano, flute
Additional personnel
  • Matthew Sankey – design
  • Barry Dawson – photography
  • Martyn Goodacre – photography
  • Brian Cannon – photography

Chart performance

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Chart (2001) Peak position
UK Albums Chart 78

References

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  1. ^ a b "ALBUM TITLE COMP NEWS", cast.co.uk, 1 June 2001
  2. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Beetroot – Cast". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  3. ^ Bull, Dan (28 February 2014). "Album Review: 'Deluxe Remasters' Cast". Gigslutz. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  4. ^ Scott, Ben P (4 February 2001). "BritPop Month: Cast – Deluxe Editions: 'All Change'/'Mother Nature Calls'/'Magic Hour'/'Beetroot' (Edsel Records)". God Is in the TV. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  5. ^ Clarke, Betty (27 July 2001). "Stay conscious". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  6. ^ Jupp, Ed (28 February 2014). "Cast All Change / Mother Nature Calls / Magic Hour'/ Beetroot". Is this music?. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  7. ^ Pattison, Louis. "Cast : Beetroot". NME. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  8. ^ a b Atkins, Jamie (March 2014). "Reviews". Record Collector (425): 90. ISSN 0261-250X.
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