Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo
| Bachelor No. 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Aimee Mann | ||||
| Released | May 2, 2000 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 49:21 | |||
| Label | SuperEgo, V2 | |||
| Producer | Jon Brion Mike Denneen Buddy Judge Aimee Mann Brendan O'Brien |
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| Aimee Mann chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Bachelor No. 2 | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 89/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| The A.V. Club | favourable[3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[4] |
| Ink Blot Magazine | favorable[9] |
| Mojo | favorable[1] |
| Robert Christgau |  [5] |
| Rolling Stone |  [6] |
| Spin | 8/10[1] |
| Trouser Press | favorable[7] |
| Wall of Sound | 90/100[8] |
Bachelor No. 2 is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, released in 2000. Its full title is Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo. The album is notable for the fact that Mann was initially without a record company and sold the album through her website, but the album went on to gain a worldwide release and achieve respectable sales. This was aided by the success of the Magnolia soundtrack, for the film of the same name by Paul Thomas Anderson, with which the album shares material.
The first release was a limited-run 7-song preview EP which was sold at concerts and via her website.
The full album was slated for a release through Interscope, but they did not think the material had commercial appeal. Mann purchased back the rights for "six figures", and began selling the album online. It was one of the first albums to be successful with only online sales, eventually selling 25,000 copies from Mann's website. After attracting attention, a distribution deal to traditional retail channels led to sales topping 200,000.[10]
The Japanese version of the album contains bonus material, the European version has a different track listing and slightly different material. The album was remastered and released in 2004 by the audiophile record label Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL) as a hybrid stereo SACD and as an LP on 180-gram virgin vinyl.
Contents
Reception
Review aggregator website Metacritic states that the album received 'Universal Acclaim' upon its release, giving it a score of 89/100 based on 13 reviews.[1] The same website placed the album at number 28 on their list of the best received album of the decade 2000-2009, and number 9 on their list of the best Indie/Alternative albums of the decade.[11] Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo placed on Slant Magazine's list of best albums of the 2000s at number 100.[12]
Track listing
All songs by Aimee Mann, unless otherwise noted.
US and Japan releases
- "How Am I Different" (Jon Brion, Mann) – 5:03[13]
- "Nothing Is Good Enough" – 3:10[13][14]
- "Red Vines" – 3:44[13]
- "The Fall of the World's Own Optimist" (Elvis Costello, Mann) – 3:06[13]
- "Satellite" – 4:10[13]
- "Deathly" – 5:37[15]
- "Ghost World" – 3:30
- "Calling It Quits" – 4:09[13]
- "Driving Sideways" (Michael Lockwood, Mann) – 3:49[15]
- "Just Like Anyone" – 1:22[13]
- "Susan" – 3:51
- "It Takes All Kinds" (Brion, Mann) – 4:06
- "You Do" – 3:43[15]
- "Save Me" – 4:35[15] (Japan bonus track)
- "Save Me" (Video) (Japan Bonus track)
European release
The E.U. Edition of the Bachelor No. 2 CD on V2 Records has a rearranged track listing that removes "Driving Sideways" and adds a new track "Backfire". The Japanese bonus tracks are included.
- "How Am I Different" – 5:03
- "Nothing Is Good Enough" – 3:10
- "Red Vines" – 3:44
- "The Fall of the World's Own Optimist" – 3:06
- "Satellite" – 4:10
- "Deathly" – 5:37
- "Ghost World" – 3:30
- "Calling It Quits" – 4:09
- "Susan" – 3:51
- "Backfire" – 3:25
- "It Takes All Kinds" – 4:06
- "Save Me" – 4:35
- "Just Like Anyone" – 1:22
- "You Do" – 3:43
- "Save Me" (Video)
MFSL release
The MFSL SACD and LP releases feature the same tracklist as the 13 track US CD release.
Personnel
- Aimee Mann – acoustic guitar, bass, guitar, tambourine, vocals, background vocals, hi-hat
- Jon Brion – drums, electric guitar, keyboard, background vocals
- Mark Flannagan – trumpet
- Juliana Hatfield – background vocals
- Michael Hausman – percussion, tambourine
- Butch – drums, percussion
- Buddy Judge – background vocals, Wurlitzer, drum loop
- Michael Lockwood – guitar, electric guitar, keyboard, background vocals, soloist, 12 string electric guitar, 12 string acoustic guitar
- Ric Menck – drums
- Brendan O'Brien – bass, slide guitar
- Michael Penn – guitar, electric guitar, background vocals, slide guitar, introduction, guitar feedback
- Grant Lee Phillips – background vocals
- John Sands – drums
- Clayton Scoble – electric baritone guitar
- Benmont Tench – piano, Chamberlin
- Jennifer Trynin – electric guitar
- Patrick Warren – piano, accordion, celeste, keyboard, Chamberlin, soloist
Production
- Producers: Aimee Mann, Jon Brion, Mike Denneen, Buddy Judge, Brendan O'Brien
- Executive producer: Michael Hausman
- Engineers: Mike Denneen, Nick DiDia, Ryan Freeland, S. "Husky" Höskulds, Dustin Jones, Buddy Judge, Hank Linderman, Brian Scheuble
- Assistant engineers: Elijah Bradford, Carlos Castro, Connie Hill, Dustin Jones
- Mixing: David Boucher, Bob Clearmountain, Ryan Freeland
- Mastering: Shawn R. Britton
- Extensive Help with Production: Buddy Judge
- Assistants: David Boucher, Ryan Freeland
- Computers: Buddy Judge
- Drum engineering: Hank Linderman
- Vocal engineer: S. "Husky" Hoskulds
- Drum programming: Michael Hausman, Buddy Judge, Hank Linderman
- Art direction: Aimee Mann, Gail Marowitz
- Design: Aimee Mann, Gail Marowitz
Charts
Album – Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Billboard 200 | 134 |
| 2000 | Top Internet Albums | 20 |
| 2001 | Top Independent Albums | 48 |
Notes
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- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 Appeared on the self-published EP.
- ↑ Instrumental appeared on the Magnolia soundtrack.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Appeared on the Magnolia soundtrack.
